Australian Curriculum - F10 - English

The Australian Curriculum

Learning areas English

Year levels Foundation Year, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10

Curriculum version Version 4.1

Dated Friday, 1 February 2013

The Australian Curriculum English

Table of Contents

Rationale and Aims

Rationale

Aims

Organisation

Content structure

Language

Literature

Literacy

Relationships between the strands

English across Foundation to Year 12

Achievement standards

Diversity of learners

General capabilities

Crosscurriculum priorities

Links to the other learning areas

Implications for teaching, assessment and reporting

Curriculum F–10

Foundation Year

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

Glossary

3

3

3

4

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

10

12

14

16

16

19

19

27

35

42

49

56

63

70

77

84

92

100

English

ACARA | The Australian Curriculum | Version 4.1 dated Friday, 1 February 2013 2

Rationale

The study of English is central to the learning and development of all young Australians. It helps create confident

communicators, imaginative thinkers and informed citizens. It is through the study of English that individuals learn to analyse,

understand, communicate with and build relationships with others and with the world around them. The study of English

helps young people develop the knowledge and skills needed for education, training and the workplace. It helps them

become ethical, thoughtful, informed and active members of society. In this light it is clear that the Australian Curriculum:

English plays an important part in developing the understanding, attitudes and capabilities of those who will take

responsibility for Australia’s future.

Although Australia is a linguistically and culturally diverse country, participation in many aspects of Australian life depends on

effective communication in Standard Australian English. In addition, proficiency in English is invaluable globally. The

Australian Curriculum: English contributes both to nationbuilding and to internationalisation.

The Australian Curriculum: English also helps students to engage imaginatively and critically with literature to expand the

scope of their experience. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have contributed to Australian society and to its

contemporary literature and its literary heritage through their distinctive ways of representing and communicating knowledge,

traditions and experience. The Australian Curriculum: English values, respects and explores this contribution. It also

emphasises Australia’s links to Asia.

Aims

The Australian Curriculum: English aims to ensure that students:

l learn to listen to, read, view, speak, write, create and reflect on increasingly complex and sophisticated spoken, written and multimodal texts across a growing range of contexts with accuracy, fluency and purpose

l appreciate, enjoy and use the English language in all its variations and develop a sense of its richness and power to evoke feelings, convey information, form ideas, facilitate interaction with others, entertain, persuade and argue

l understand how Standard Australian English works in its spoken and written forms and in combination with nonlinguistic forms of communication to create meaning

l develop interest and skills in inquiring into the aesthetic aspects of texts, and develop an informed appreciation of literature.

Rationale and Aims


Content Structure

The Australian Curriculum: English Foundation to Year 10 is organised into three interrelated strands that support students'

growing understanding and use of Standard Australian English (English). Together the three strands focus on developing

students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking and writing. The three strands are:

l Language: knowing about the English language

l Literature: understanding, appreciating, responding to, analysing and creating literature

l Literacy: expanding the repertoire of English usage.

Strands and substrands

Content descriptions in each strand are grouped into substrands that, across the year levels, present a sequence of

development of knowledge, understanding and skills. The substrands are:

Texts

Texts provide the means for communication. They can be written, spoken or multimodal, and in print or digital/online forms.

Multimodal texts combine language with other means of communication such as visual images, soundtrack or spoken word,

as in film or computer presentation media. Texts provide important opportunities for learning about aspects of human

experience and about aesthetic value. Many of the tasks that students undertake in and out of school involve understanding

and producing imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, media texts, everyday texts and workplace texts.

The term ‘literature’ refers to past and present texts across a range of cultural contexts that are valued for their form and style

and are recognised as having enduring or artistic value. While the nature of what constitutes literary texts is dynamic and

evolving, they are seen as having personal, social, cultural and aesthetic value and potential for enriching students’ scope of

experience. Literature includes a broad range of forms such as novels, poetry, short stories and plays; fiction for young adults

and children, multimodal texts such as film, and a variety of nonfiction. Literary texts also include excerpts from longer texts.

This enables a range of literary texts to be included within any one year level for close study or comparative purposes.

English educators use many ways of categorising texts. The descriptions of texts used in the Australian Curriculum: English

are based on practical as well as conceptual considerations. The specific designation of a strand labelled ‘literature’ is

aimed at encouraging teachers working at all year levels not only to use texts conventionally understood as ‘literary’, but also

to engage students in examining, evaluating and discussing texts in increasingly sophisticated and informed ‘literary’ ways.

language literature literacy

Language variation and change Literature and context Texts in context

Language for interaction Responding to literature Interacting with others

Text structure and organisation Examining literature Interpreting, analysing and evaluating

Expressing and developing ideas Creating literature Creating texts

Sound and letter knowledge

Organisation


The usefulness of distinctions among types of texts relates largely to how clearly at each year level these distinctions can

guide the selection of materials for students to listen to, read, view, write and create, and the kinds of purposeful activities that

can be organised around these materials.

The language modes

The processes of listening, speaking, reading, viewing and writing, also known as language modes, are interrelated and the

learning of one often supports and extends learning of the others. To acknowledge these interrelationships, content

descriptions in each strand of the Australian Curriculum: English incorporate the processes of listening, speaking, reading,

viewing and writing in an integrated and interdependent way.

Classroom contexts that address particular content descriptions will necessarily draw from more than one of these

processes in order to support students’ effective learning. For example, students will learn new vocabulary through listening

and reading and apply their knowledge and understanding in their speaking and writing as well as in their comprehension of

both spoken and written texts.

Content descriptions can also be viewed by these processes or language modes. In this aspect, each content description

has been placed in the mode in which a major focus of its learning occurs. Content descriptions can be filtered to identify all

relevant processes or language modes.

Year level descriptions

Year level descriptions have three functions. First, they emphasise the interrelated nature of the three strands and the

expectation that planning an English program will involve integration of content from the strands. Second, they provide

information about the learning contexts that are appropriate at each year for learning across the Language, Literature and

Literacy strands. Third, they provide an overview of the range of texts to be studied and an indication of their complexity and

key features. They also describe differences in the texts that students create. In the early years, development in reading and

writing is rapid and clear distinctions in text complexity can be made so descriptions are written for each year at Foundation, 1

and 2. In Years 3–10, the twoyear description provides for greater flexibility.

Content descriptions

The Australian Curriculum: English includes content descriptions at each year level. These describe the knowledge,

understanding, skills and processes that teachers are expected to teach and students are expected to learn, but do not

prescribe approaches to teaching. Learning in English is recursive and cumulative, and builds on concepts, skills and

processes developed in earlier years. Nevertheless, the content descriptions have been written to ensure that learning is

appropriately ordered and that unnecessary repetition is avoided. However, a concept or skill introduced at one year level may

be revisited, strengthened and extended at later year levels as needed.

Content elaborations

Content elaborations are provided for Foundation to Year 10 to illustrate and exemplify content and assist teachers in

developing a common understanding of the content descriptions. They are not intended to be comprehensive content points

that all students need to be taught.

Glossary

A glossary is provided to support a common understanding of key terms in the content descriptions.

Language: knowing about the English language

English Organisation


In the Language strand, students develop their knowledge of the English language and how it works. They learn that

changes in English are related to historical developments and the geographical differences of its users over the centuries,

and that there are many differences in dialect and accent. They learn how language enables people to interact effectively, to

build and maintain relationships and to express and exchange knowledge, skills, attitudes, feelings and opinions. They

discover the patterns and purposes of English usage, including spelling, grammar and punctuation at the levels of the word,

sentence and extended text, and they study the connections between these levels. By developing a body of knowledge about

these patterns and their connections, students learn to communicate effectively through coherent, wellstructured sentences

and texts. They gain a consistent way of understanding and talking about language, languageinuse and languageas

system, so they can reflect on their own speaking and writing and discuss these productively with others.

Language

Language variation and change: Students learn that languages and dialects are constantly evolving due to historical, social

and cultural changes, demographic movements and technological innovations. They come to understand that these factors,

along with new virtual communities and environments, continue to affect the nature and spread of English.

Language for interaction: Students learn that the language used by individuals varies according to their social setting and

the relationships between the participants. They learn that accents and styles of speech and idiom are part of the creation

and expression of personal and social identities.

Text structure and organisation: Students learn how texts are structured to achieve particular purposes; how language is

used to create texts that are cohesive and coherent; how texts about more specialised topics contain more complex

language patterns and features; and how the author guides the reader/viewer through the text through effective use of

resources at the level of the whole text, the paragraph and the sentence.

Expressing and developing ideas: Students learn how, in a text, effective authors control and use an increasingly

differentiated range of clause structures, words and word groups, as well as combinations of sound, image, movement,

verbal elements and layout. They learn that the conventions, patterns and generalisations that relate to English spelling

involve the origins of words, word endings, Greek and Latin roots, base words and affixes.

Sound and letter knowledge: Students develop knowledge about the sounds of English and learn to identify the sounds in

spoken words. They learn the letters of the alphabet and how to represent spoken words by using combinations of these

letters.

Language

The Language strand is based on concepts drawn largely from historical and linguistic accounts of the English language.

These approaches draw attention to the ways in which languages change, and to the distinction between languageinuse

and languageassystem. These approaches also acknowledge that students’ ability to use grammar will exceed their ability

to explicitly reflect on grammar. Young children, for example, will use complex sentences before they can explain how these

are structured. These approaches, in describing language, also pay attention to both the structure (syntax) and meaning

(semantics) at the level of the word, the sentence and the text. The Australian Curriculum: English uses standard

grammatical terminology within a contextual framework, in which language choices are seen to vary according to the topics at

hand, the nature and proximity of the relationships between the language users, and the modalities or channels of

communication available. This strand informs the planning and conduct of teaching and learning activities in English and

provides resources that connect to key concepts and skills in the other strands.

Literature: understanding, appreciating, responding to, analysing and creating literature



The Literature strand aims to engage students in the study of literary texts of personal, cultural, social and aesthetic value.

These texts include some that are recognised as having enduring social and artistic value and some that attract

contemporary attention. Texts are chosen because they are judged to have potential for enriching the lives of students,

expanding the scope of their experience, and because they represent effective and interesting features of form and style.

Learning to appreciate literary texts and to create their own literary texts enriches students’ understanding of human

experiences and the capacity for language to deepen those experiences. It builds students’ knowledge about how language

can be used for aesthetic ends, to create particular emotional, intellectual or philosophical effects. Students interpret,

appreciate, evaluate and create literary texts such as short stories, novels, poetry, prose, plays, film and multimodal texts, in

spoken, print and digital/online forms. Texts recognised as having enduring artistic and cultural value are drawn from world

and Australian literature. These include the oral narrative traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, texts

from Asia, texts from Australia’s immigrant cultures and texts of the students’ choice.

Literature

Literature and context: Students learn how ideas and viewpoints about events, issues and characters that are expressed by

authors in texts are drawn from and shaped by different historical, social and cultural contexts.

Responding to literature: Students learn to identify personal ideas, experiences and opinions about literary texts and

discuss them with others. They learn how to recognise areas of agreement and difference, and how to develop and refine

their interpretations through discussion and argument.

Examining literature: Students learn how to explain and analyse the ways in which stories, characters, settings and

experiences are reflected in particular literary genres, and how to discuss the appeal of these genres. They learn how to

compare and appraise the ways authors use language and literary techniques and devices to influence readers. They also

learn to understand, interpret, discuss and evaluate how certain stylistic choices can create multiple layers of interpretation

and effect.

Creating literature: Students learn how to use personal knowledge and literary texts as starting points to create imaginative

writing in different forms and genres and for particular audiences. Using print, digital and online media, students develop

skills that allow them to convey meaning, address significant issues and heighten engagement and impact.

Literature

There are many approaches to the study of literature. Each makes different assumptions about the purposes of literature

study, the nature of literary texts and methods of analysis. The Australian Curriculum: English draws on a number of

approaches and emphasises:

l the different ways in which literature is significant in everyday life

l close analysis of literary works and the key ideas and values on which they are based; for example, the detailed stylistic study of differing styles of literary work

l comparisons of works of literature from different language, ethnic and cultural backgrounds

l historical study of the origins, authorship, readership and reception of texts

l exploration of the relationships between historical, cultural and literary traditions.

Literacy: expanding the repertoire of English usage



The Literacy strand aims to develop students’ ability to interpret and create texts with appropriateness, accuracy, confidence,

fluency and efficacy for learning in and out of school, and for participating in Australian life more generally. Texts chosen

include media texts, everyday texts and workplace texts from increasingly complex and unfamiliar settings, ranging from the

everyday language of personal experience to more abstract, specialised and technical language, including the language of

schooling and academic study. Students learn to adapt language to meet the demands of more general or more specialised

purposes, audiences and contexts. They learn about the different ways in which knowledge and opinion are represented and

developed in texts, and about how more or less abstraction and complexity can be shown through language and through

multimodal representations. This means that print and digital contexts are included, and that listening, viewing, reading,

speaking, writing and creating are all developed systematically and concurrently.

Literacy

Texts in context: Students learn that texts from different cultures or historical periods may reveal different patterns in how

they go about narrating, informing and persuading.

Interacting with others: Students learn how individuals and groups use language patterns to express ideas and key

concepts to develop and defend arguments. They learn how to promote a point of view by designing, rehearsing and

delivering spoken and written presentations and by appropriately selecting and sequencing linguistic and multimodal

elements.

Interpreting, analysing, evaluating: Students learn to comprehend what they read and view by applying growing contextual,

semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge. They develop more sophisticated processes for interpreting, analysing,

evaluating and critiquing ideas, information and issues from a variety of sources. They explore the ways conventions and

structures are used in written, digital, multimedia and cinematic texts to entertain, inform and persuade audiences, and they

use their growing knowledge of textual features to explain how texts make an impact on different audiences.

Creating texts: Students apply knowledge they have developed in other strands and substrands to create with clarity,

authority and novelty a range of spoken, written and multimodal texts that entertain, inform and persuade audiences. They do

so by strategically selecting key aspects of a topic as well as language, visual and audio features. They learn how to edit for

enhanced meaning and effect by refining ideas, reordering sentences, adding or substituting words for clarity, and removing

repetition. They develop and consolidate a handwriting style that is legible, fluent and automatic, and that supports sustained

writing. They learn to use a range of software programs including word processing software, selecting purposefully from a

range of functions to communicate and create clear, effective, informative and innovative texts.

Literacy

The Literacy strand takes account of approaches to literacy learning that are based on the development of skills, social and

psychological growth, and critical and cultural analysis. These approaches hold that the technical, intellectual and cultural

resources related to competence in literacy have developed to serve the big and small practical, everyday communication

purposes associated with living and participating in societies such as contemporary Australia. These technical, intellectual

and cultural resources include:

l fluency in the sound–letter correspondences of English

l an expanding reading, writing and speaking vocabulary and a grasp of grammatical and textual patterns sufficient to understand and learn from texts encountered in and out of school, and to create effective and innovative texts

l fluency and innovation in reading, viewing and creating texts in different settings

l the skill and disposition needed to analyse and understand the philosophical, moral, political and aesthetic bases on which many texts are built

l an interest in expanding the range of materials listened to, viewed and read, and in experimenting with innovative ways of expressing increasingly subtle and complex ideas through texts.



Relationships between the strands

Each strand contributes to the study of English its own distinctive goals, body of knowledge, history of ideas and interests,

and each relates to material worth studying in its own right. Teaching, learning and assessment programs should balance

and integrate the three strands in order to support the development of knowledge, understanding and skills. The key focal

point for a unit of work or a learning activity may arise from any one of the strands, but the intention is that units and activities

draw on all three strands in ways that are integrated and clear to learners.

English across Foundation to Year 12

Complementing the year by year description of the curriculum, this advice describes the nature of learners and the curriculum

across four yeargroupings:

l Foundation – Year 2: typically students from 5 to 8 years of age

l Years 3–6: typically students from 8 to 12 years of age

l Years 7–10: typically students from 12 to 15 years of age

l Senior secondary years: typically students from 15 to 18 years of age

Foundation – Year 2

Students bring with them to school a wide range of experiences with language and texts. These experiences are included in

the curriculum as valid ways of communicating and as rich resources for further learning about language, literature and

literacy. From Foundation to Year 2, students engage with purposeful listening, reading, viewing, speaking and writing

activities for different purposes and contexts.

The curriculum in these years aims to extend the abilities of students prior to school learning and to provide the foundation

needed for continued learning. The study of English from Foundation to Year 2 develops students’ skills and disposition to

expand their knowledge of language as well as strategies to assist that growth. It aims to do this through pleasurable and

varied experiences of literature and through the beginnings of a repertoire of activities involving listening, viewing, reading,

speaking and writing.

Years 3–6

Students practise, consolidate and extend what they have learned. They develop an increasingly sophisticated understanding

of grammar and language, and are increasingly able to articulate this knowledge. Gradually, more complex punctuation,

clause and sentence structures, and textual purposes and patterns are introduced. This deeper understanding includes

more explicit metalanguage, as students learn to classify words, sentence structures and texts. To consolidate both ‘learning

to read and write’ and ‘reading and writing to learn’, students explore the language of different types of texts, including visual

texts, advertising, digital/online and media texts.

Years 7–10

Students continue to practise, consolidate and extend what they have learned from previous years. They also extend their

understanding of how language works, and learn to transfer this knowledge to different contexts. To achieve this, students

develop an understanding of the requirements of different types of texts; they are introduced to increasingly sophisticated

analyses of various kinds of literary, popular culture, and everyday texts, and they are given opportunities to engage with the

technical aspects of texts, including those of their own choosing – and to explain why they made that choice.

The notion of valuing certain texts as ‘literature’ is introduced. Students learn how such texts can be discussed and analysed

in relation to themes, ideas and historical and cultural contexts.



Students engage with a variety of genres and modes. They reenact, represent and describe texts in order to display their

understanding of narrative, theme, purpose, context and argument and to defend their ideas in written and oral modes.

Students are given further opportunities to create increasingly sophisticated and multimodal texts in groups and individually.

Senior secondary years

The Australian Curriculum: English in the senior secondary years allows students to use, consolidate and expand on what

they have learned, and provides a range of choices from more specialised courses to meet students’ needs and interests.

The three strands of Language, Literature and Literacy also underpin the senior secondary English courses.

Achievement standards

Across Foundation to Year 10, achievement standards indicate the quality of learning students should typically demonstrate

by a particular point in their schooling. Achievement standards comprise a written description and student work samples.

An achievement standard describes the quality of learning (the extent of knowledge, the depth of understanding and the

sophistication of skills) that would indicate the student is well placed to commence the learning required at the next level of

achievement.

The sequence of achievement standards across Foundation to Year 10 describes progress in the learning area. This

sequence provides teachers with a framework of growth and development in the learning area.

Student work samples play a key role in communicating expectations described in the achievement standards. Each work

sample includes the relevant assessment task, the student’s response, and annotations identifying the quality of learning

evident in the student’s response in relation to relevant parts of the achievement standard.

Together, the description of the achievement standard and the accompanying set of annotated work samples help teachers

to make judgments about whether students have achieved the standard.

Diversity of Learners

Australian students have multiple, diverse, and changing needs that are shaped by individual learning histories and abilities

as well as personal, cultural and language backgrounds and socioeconomic factors.

ACARA is committed to the development of a highquality curriculum for all Australian students that promotes excellence and

equity in education. Teachers will use the Australian Curriculum to develop teaching and learning programs that build on

student’s current learning and which are not limited by an individual student’s gender, language, sexual orientation,

pregnancy, culture, ethnicity, religion, health or disability, socio economic background or geographic location.

The Australian Curriculum is shaped by the propositions that each student can learn and that the needs of every student are

important. The flexibility offered by the Australian Curriculum enables teachers to plan rigorous, relevant and engaging

learning and assessment experiences for all students



The Australian Curriculum sets out the sequence of learning typically expected across the years of schooling Foundation to

Year 10. The curriculum content, presented as content descriptions, specifies the knowledge, understanding and skills that

young people are to be taught and are expected to learn across the years of schooling F – 10. Teachers make flexible use of

instructional processes and assessment strategies to ensure that all students are able to access, and engage with the

Australian Curriculum in ways that are rigorous, relevant and meaningful. The achievement standards describe a broad

sequence of expected learning in terms of what students are typically able to understand and able to do. Teachers use the

achievement standards to locate the students’ current levels of achievement and then plan programs that build on, and

account for the different abilities of students, their prior learning experiences, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and the

different rates at which they learn.

Students with disability

ACARA acknowledges the Disability Discrimination Act (1992) (DDA) and the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and

its obligation as an education and training service provider to articulate the rights of students with disability to access,

participate and achieve in the curriculum on the same basis as students without disability.

The objectives of the Australian Curriculum are the same for all students. The curriculum offers flexibility for teachers to tailor

their teaching in ways that provide rigorous, relevant and engaging learning and assessment opportunities for students with

disability.

Students with disability can engage with the curriculum provided the necessary adjustments are made to the complexity of

the curriculum content and to the means through which students demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding.

For some learners, making adjustments to instructional processes and to assessment strategies enables students to

achieve educational standards commensurate with their peers.

For other students, teachers will need to make appropriate adjustments to the complexity of the curriculum content and by

necessity, how the student’s progress is monitored, assessed and reported.

English as an additional language or dialect

Many students in Australian schools are learners of English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D). EAL/D students are

those whose first language is a language other than Standard Australian English and who require additional support to

assist them to develop English language proficiency.

EAL/D students come from diverse backgrounds and may include:

l overseas and Australianborn students whose first language is a language other than English

l students whose first language is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language, including creoles and related varieties, or Aboriginal English.

EAL/D students enter Australian schools at different ages and at different stages of English language learning and have

various educational backgrounds in their first languages. For some, school is the only place they use English.

The aims of the Australian Curriculum: English are ultimately the same for all students. However, EAL/D students are

simultaneously learning a new language and the knowledge, understanding and skills of the Australian Curriculum: English

through that new language. They require additional time and support, along with informed teaching that explicitly addresses

their language needs, and assessments that take into account their developing language proficiency.



The English as an Additional Language or Dialect: Teacher Resource has been produced to support teachers as they

develop teaching and learning programs using the Australian Curriculum. It describes four phases of language proficiency

that will enable teachers to identify the typical language skills and understandings of their EAL/D students. Advice for

teachers about cultural and linguistic considerations related to the Australian Curriculum: English and teaching strategies

supportive of EAL/D students will help make the content of the curriculum accessible to EAL/D students. The EAL/D resource

is available here.

General capabilities

In the Australian Curriculum, the general capabilities encompass the knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that,

together with curriculum content in each learning area and the crosscurriculum priorities, will assist students to live and

work successfully in the twentyfirst century.

There are seven general capabilities:

l Literacy

l Numeracy

l Information and communication technology (ICT) capability

l Critical and creative thinking

l Personal and social capability

l Ethical understanding

l Intercultural understanding.

In the Australian Curriculum: English, general capabilities are identified wherever they are developed or applied in content

descriptions. They are also identified where they offer opportunities to add depth and richness to student learning through

content elaborations. Icons indicate where general capabilities have been identified in English content. Teachers may find

further opportunities to incorporate explicit teaching of the capabilities depending on their choice of activities.

Literacy

The Literacy general capability presents those aspects of the Language and Literacy strands of the English curriculum that

should also be applied in all other learning areas.

Students become literate as they develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions to interpret and use language confidently for

learning and communicating in and out of school and for participating effectively in society. Literacy involves students in

listening to, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating oral, print, visual and digital texts, and using and modifying

language for different purposes in a range of contexts.

Literacy is developed through the specific study of the English language in all its forms, enabling students to understand how

the English language works in different social contexts and critically assess writers’ opinions, bias and intent, and assisting

them to make increasingly sophisticated language choices in their own texts. The English learning area has a central role in

the development of literacy in a manner that is more explicit and foregrounded than is the case in other learning areas.

Students learn literacy knowledge and skills as they engage with the Literacy and Language strands of English. They apply

their literacy capability in English when they interpret and create spoken, print, visual and multimodal texts for a range of

purposes.

Numeracy



http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/eald_teacher_resource/eald_teacher_resource.html

Students become numerate as they develop the knowledge and skills to use mathematics confidently across all learning

areas at school and in their lives more broadly. Numeracy involves students in recognising and understanding the role of

mathematics in the world and having the dispositions and capacities to use mathematical knowledge and skills

purposefully.

Numeracy can be addressed in learning contexts appropriate to English across Years F‒10. Students use numeracy skills

when interpreting, analysing and creating texts involving quantitative and spatial information such as percentages and

statistics, numbers, measurements and directions. When responding to or creating texts that present issues or arguments

based on data, students identify, analyse and synthesise numerical information using that understanding to discuss the

credibility of sources.

Visual texts may present a range of numeracy demands. Interpreting and creating graphic organisers requires students to

examine relationships between various components of a situation and to sort information into categories including

characteristics that can be measured or counted. Understanding the mathematical ideas behind visual organisers such as

Venn diagrams or flowcharts helps students to use them more effectively.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability

Students develop ICT capability as they learn to use ICT effectively and appropriately to access, create and communicate

information and ideas, solve problems and work collaboratively in all learning areas at school, and in their lives beyond

school. ICT capability involves students in learning to make the most of the technologies available to them, adapting to new

ways of doing things as technologies evolve and limiting the risks to themselves and others in a digital environment.

ICT capability is an important component of the English curriculum. Students use ICT when they interpret and create print,

visual and multimodal texts. They use communication technologies when they conduct research online, and collaborate and

communicate with others electronically. In particular, they employ ICT to access, analyse, modify and create multimodal texts,

including through digital publishing.

As students interpret and create digital texts, they develop their capability in ICT including word processing, navigating and

following research trails and selecting and evaluating information found online.

Critical and creative thinking

Students develop capability in critical and creative thinking as they learn to generate and evaluate knowledge, clarify concepts

and ideas, seek possibilities, consider alternatives and solve problems. Critical and creative thinking are integral to activities

that require students to think broadly and deeply using skills, behaviours and dispositions such as reason, logic,

resourcefulness, imagination and innovation in all learning areas at school and in their lives beyond school.

Critical and creative thinking are essential to developing understanding in English. Students employ critical and creative

thinking through discussions, the close analysis of texts and through the creation of their own written, visual and multimodal

texts that require logic, imagination and innovation. Students use creative thinking when they imagine possibilities, plan,

explore and create ideas and texts.

Through listening to, reading, viewing, creating and presenting texts and interacting with others, students develop their ability

to see existing situations in new ways, and explore the creative possibilities of the English language. In discussion students

develop critical thinking as they state and justify a point of view and respond to the views of others. Through reading, viewing

and listening students critically analyse the opinions, points of view and unstated assumptions embedded in texts.

Personal and social capability



Students develop personal and social capability as they learn to understand themselves and others, and manage their

relationships, lives, work and learning more effectively. The personal and social capability involves students in a range of

practices including recognising and regulating emotions, developing empathy for and understanding of others, establishing

positive relationships, making responsible decisions, working effectively in teams and handling challenging situations

constructively.

There are many opportunities for students to develop personal and social capability in English. Language is central to

personal and social identity. Using English to develop communication skills and selfexpression assists students’ personal

and social development as they become effective communicators able to articulate their own opinions and beliefs and to

interact and collaborate with others.

The study of English as a system helps students to understand how language functions as a key component of social

interactions across all social situations. Through close reading and discussion of texts students experience and evaluate a

range of personal and social behaviours and perspectives and develop connections and empathy with characters in different

social contexts.

Ethical understanding

Students develop ethical understanding as they identify and investigate the nature of ethical concepts, values, character traits

and principles, and understand how reasoning can assist ethical judgment. Ethical understanding involves students in

building a strong personal and socially oriented ethical outlook that helps them to manage context, conflict and uncertainty,

and to develop an awareness of the influence that their values and behaviour have on others.

Students develop ethical understanding as they study the issues and dilemmas present in a range of texts and explore how

ethical principles affect the behaviour and judgment of characters and those involved in issues and events. Students apply

the skills of reasoning, empathy and imagination, consider and make judgments about actions and motives, and speculate

on how life experiences affect and influence people’s decision making and whether various positions held are reasonable.

The study of English helps students to understand how language can be used to influence judgments about behaviour,

speculate about consequences and influence opinions and that language can carry embedded negative and positive

connotations that can be used in ways that help or hurt others.

Intercultural understanding

Students develop intercultural understanding as they learn to value their own cultures, languages and beliefs, and those of

others. They come to understand how personal, group and national identities are shaped, and the variable and changing

nature of culture. The capability involves students in learning about and engaging with diverse cultures in ways that recognise

commonalities and differences, create connections with others and cultivate mutual respect.

Students develop intercultural understanding through the study of the English language and the ways it has been influenced

by different cultural groups, languages, speakers and writers. In interpreting and analysing authors’ ideas and positions in a

range of texts in English and in translation to English, they learn to question stated and unstated cultural beliefs and

assumptions, and issues of intercultural meaning.

Students use Intercultural understanding to comprehend and create a range of texts, that present diverse cultural

perspectives and to empathise with a variety of people and characters in various cultural settings.

Crosscurriculum priorities

There are three Crosscurriculum priorities in the Australian Curriculum:

l Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures



l Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia

l Sustainability.

The Crosscurriculum priorities are embedded in the curriculum and will have a strong but varying presence depending on

their relevance to each of the learning areas.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are strong, rich and diverse. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Identity is

central to this priority and is intrinsically linked to living, learning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, deep

knowledge traditions and holistic world view.

A conceptual framework based on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ unique sense of Identity has been

developed as a structural tool for the embedding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures within the

Australian curriculum. This sense of Identity is approached through the interconnected aspects of Country/Place, People and

Culture. Embracing these elements enhances all areas of the curriculum.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander priority provides opportunities for all learners to deepen their knowledge of Australia

by engaging with the world’s oldest continuous living cultures. This knowledge and understanding will enrich their ability to

participate positively in the ongoing development of Australia.

The Australian Curriculum: English values Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. It articulates relevant

aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, literatures and literacies.

All students will develop an awareness and appreciation of, and respect for the literature of Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander Peoples including storytelling traditions (oral narrative) as well as contemporary literature. Students will be taught to

develop respectful critical understandings of the social, historical and cultural contexts associated with different uses of

language and textual features.

Students will be taught that there are many languages and dialects spoken in Australia including Aboriginal English and

Yumplatok (Torres Strait Islander Creole) and that these languages may have different writing systems and oral traditions.

These languages can be used to enhance enquiry and understanding of English literacy.

Asia and Australia's engagement with Asia

In the Australian Curriculum: English, the priority of Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia provides rich and engaging

contexts for developing students’ abilities in listening, speaking, reading, viewing and writing.

The Australian Curriculum: English enables students to explore and appreciate the diverse range of traditional and

contemporary texts from and about the peoples and countries of Asia, including texts written by Australians of Asian heritage.

It enables students to understand how Australian culture and the English language have been influenced by the many Asian

languages used in Australian homes, classrooms and communities.

In this learning area, students draw on knowledge of the Asia region, including literature, to influence and enhance their own

creative pursuits. They develop communication skills that reflect cultural awareness and intercultural understanding.

Sustainability

In the Australian Curriculum: English, the priority of sustainability provides rich and engaging contexts for developing

students’ abilities in listening, speaking, reading, viewing and writing.



The Australian Curriculum: English assists students to develop the skills necessary to investigate, analyse and

communicate ideas and information related to sustainability, and to advocate, generate and evaluate actions for sustainable

futures. The content in the language, literature and literacy strands is key to developing and sharing knowledge about social,

economic and ecological systems and world views that promote social justice.

In this learning area, students may interrogate a range of texts to shape their decision making in relation to sustainability.

They develop the understanding and skills necessary to act responsibly and create texts that inform and persuade others to

take action for sustainable futures.

Links to other learning areas

The study of English involves the development of understanding and knowledge for informed and effective participation not

only in English but also in other learning areas. When knowledge, skills and comprehension from English are meaningfully

applied to other learning areas, learning becomes more relevant and understanding deepens.

The relationship between the learning areas is also reciprocal. Science, history and mathematics emphasise skills in

English literacy as well as students’ capacity to communicate coherently to a range of audiences. Each learning area draws

upon what is taught in the language strand of English and incorporates subjectspecific language knowledge as required.

Mathematics

The skills taught in English of communicating with others, comprehending texts, making connections within and across texts

and creating new texts reinforce learning in mathematics. When reading texts, students develop an understanding of

concepts such as time, number and space. They interpret numerical symbols and combine these with pictures to make

meaning. When creating and responding to texts, students draw on an understanding of spatial features. Understanding

statistical reasoning, graphical representations, quantitative data and numerical scale and proportion is an invaluable skill

for analysing argument in English. Being able to present quantitative evidence as part of an argument is a persuasive tool.

Deriving quantitative and spatial information can also be an important aspect of understanding a range of texts.

Science

The skills of communicating with others, problem solving, comprehending and using texts and creating new texts reinforce

learning in science. In English, as in science, students base their discussions on the objective analysis of evidence,

justifying points of view, drawing conclusions and making presentations in a variety of media. The abilities to plan

investigations; think objectively about evidence; analyse data; describe objects and events; interpret descriptions; read and

give instructions; explain ideas to others; write clear reports and recommendations; and participate in group discussions are

all important in both disciplines.

History

The skills taught in English of communicating with others, comprehending and researching texts and creating new texts

reinforce learning in history. Literature, with its emphasis on studying texts from a range of historical and cultural contexts,

helps students understand the perspectives and contributions of people from around the world and from both the past and

present. In history, students use their English skills to undertake research, read texts with critical discernment and create

texts that present the results of historical understanding clearly and logically.

The Australian Curriculum: English takes account of what students have learned in these areas so their learning in English

is supported and their learning in other areas is enhanced.

Implications for teaching, assessment and reporting



In the Australian Curriculum: English, the three strands of Language, Literature and Literacy are interrelated and inform and

support each other. While the amount of time devoted to each strand may vary, each strand is of equal importance and each

focuses on developing skills in listening, speaking, reading, viewing, writing and creating. Teachers combine aspects of the

strands in different ways to provide students with learning experiences that meet their needs and interests.

In Year 3, for example, students might select a favourite poem and share it with the class, explaining why they chose it

(Literature). They might explain the way particular grammatical choices affect meaning, for example the use of verbs,

adjectives and adverbs in the poem (Language). Students might then create their own poems and present them to the class

(Literacy). In Year 8, a teacher who wishes to develop a unit focusing on humour might have students begin by selecting and

analysing a variety of humorous texts (Literature), considering structure and vocabulary choices that create particular effects

or nuance (Language). They might then change some of the words to create different effects in the text (Literacy).

While content descriptions do not repeat key skills, it should be noted that many aspects of the English curriculum are

recursive, and teachers need to provide ample opportunity for revision, ongoing practice and consolidation of previously

introduced knowledge and skills.

Students learn at different rates and in different stages. Depending on each student’s rate of learning, not all of the content

descriptions for a particular year level may be relevant to a student in that year level. Some students may have already

learned a concept or skill, in which case it will not have to be explicitly taught to them in the year level stipulated. Other

students may need to be taught concepts or skills stipulated for earlier year levels.

The content descriptions in the Australian Curriculum: English enable teachers to develop a variety of learning experiences

that are relevant, rigorous and meaningful and allow for different rates of development, in particular for younger students and

for those who require additional support.

Some students will require additional support to develop their skills in listening, speaking, reading, viewing and creating. In

the Australian Curriculum: English it is expected that appropriate adjustments will be made for some students to enable

them to access and participate in meaningful learning, and demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills across

the three English strands. To provide the required flexibility teachers need to consider expanded interpretations of terms

used in the content descriptions and content elaborations. Terms such as ‘read’, ‘listen’ and ‘write’ could be expanded and

interpreted as ‘read using text to speech software or Braille’; ‘listen using signed communication’; and ‘write using computer

software’.

Teachers use the Australian Curriculum content and achievement standards first to identify current levels of learning and

achievement and then to select the most appropriate content (possibly from across several year levels) to teach individual

students and/or groups of students. This takes into account that in each class there may be students with a range of prior

achievement (below, at and above the year level expectations) and that teachers plan to build on current learning.

Teachers also use the achievement standards, at the end of a period of teaching, to make onbalance judgments about the

quality of learning demonstrated by the students – that is, whether they have achieved below, at or above the standard. To

make these judgments, teachers draw on assessment data that they have collected as evidence during the course of the

teaching period. These judgments about the quality of learning are one source of feedback to students and their parents and

inform formal reporting processes.

If a teacher judges that a student’s achievement is below the expected standard, this suggests that the teaching programs

and practice should be reviewed to better assist individual students in their learning in the future. It also suggests that

additional support and targeted teaching will be needed to ensure that the student does not fall behind.

Assessment of the Australian Curriculum takes place in different levels and for different purposes, including:



l ongoing formative assessment within classrooms for the purposes of monitoring learning and providing feedback, to teachers to inform their teaching, and for students to inform their learning

l summative assessment for the purposes of twiceyearly reporting by schools to parents and carers on the progress and achievement of students

l annual testing of Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 students’ levels of achievement in aspects of literacy and numeracy, conducted as part of the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)

l periodic sample testing of specific learning areas within the Australian Curriculum as part of the National Assessment Program (NAP).



Foundation Year

The English curriculum is built around the three interrelated strands of Language, Literature and Literacy. Teaching and

learning programs should balance and integrate all three strands. Together the three strands focus on developing students’

knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating. Learning in English builds

on concepts, skills and processes developed in earlier years, and teachers will revisit, strengthen and develop these as

needed.

In the Foundation year, students communicate with peers, teachers, known adults, and students from other classes.

Students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment. They listen to, read and view spoken, written and multimodal texts in

which the primary purpose is to entertain, as well as some texts designed to inform. These include traditional oral texts,

picture books, various types of stories, rhyming verse, poetry, nonfiction, film, multimodal texts and dramatic performances.

They participate in shared reading, viewing and storytelling using a range of literary texts, and recognise the entertaining

nature of literature.

The range of literary texts for Foundation to Year 10 comprises Australian literature, including the oral narrative traditions of

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as the contemporary literature of these two cultural groups, and classic

and contemporary world literature, including texts from and about Asia.

Literary texts that support and extend Foundation students as beginner readers include predictable texts that range from

caption books to books with one or more sentences per page. These texts involve straightforward sequences of events and

everyday happenings with recognisable, realistic or imaginary characters. Informative texts present a small amount of new

content about familiar topics of interest; a small range of language features, including simple and compound sentences;

mostly familiar vocabulary, known high frequency words and singlesyllable words that can be decoded phonically, and

illustrations that strongly support the printed text.

Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts including pictorial representations, short

statements, performances, recounts and poetry.

Language

Language variation and change Elaborations

Understand that English is one of many languages

spoken in Australia and that different languages may

be spoken by family, classmates and community

(ACELA1426)

l learning that different languages exist; discussing the various languages encountered in the community and at school; acknowledging the home languages of students who speak another language, and valuing the ability to speak more than one language

l recognising that some texts can include both Standard Australian English and elements of other languages including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages

Language for interaction Elaborations

Curriculum F–10


http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/Advice-on-selection-of-literary-texts

Explore how language is used differently at home and

school depending on the relationships between

people (ACELA1428)

l learning that language varies according to the relationships between people, for example between parent and child, teacher and student, siblings, friends, shopkeepers and customers

l learning that we use a different tone and style of language with different people

l learning to ask relevant questions and to express requests and opinions in ways that suit different contexts

Understand that language can be used to explore

ways of expressing needs, likes and dislikes

(ACELA1429)

l recognising some of the ways we can use speech, gesture, writing and media to communicate feelings

l recognising some of the ways emotions and feelings can be conveyed and influenced by visual representations, for example in advertising and animations

Text structure and organisation Elaborations

Understand that texts can take many forms, can be

very short (for example an exit sign) or quite long (for

example an information book or a film) and that stories

and informative texts have different purposes

(ACELA1430)

l sharing experiences of different texts and discussing some differences

l discussing the purpose of texts, for example ‘This text will tell a story’, ‘This text will give information’

l repeating parts of texts, for example characteristic refrains, predicting cumulative storylines, reciting poetic and rhyming phrases

Understand that some language in written texts is

unlike everyday spoken language (ACELA1431)

l learning that written text in Standard Australian English has conventions about words, spaces between words, layout on the page and consistent spelling because it has to communicate when the speaker/writer is not present

Understand that punctuation is a feature of written text

different from letters; recognise how capital letters are

used for names, and that capital letters and full stops

signal the beginning and end of sentences

(ACELA1432)

l pointing to the letters and the punctuation in a text

l commenting on punctuation encountered in the everyday texts, for example ‘That’s the letter that starts my name’, ‘The name of my family and my town has a capital letter’

Understand concepts about print and screen,

including how books, film and simple digital texts

work, and know some features of print, for example

directionality (ACELA1433)

l learning about print: direction of print and return sweep, spaces between words

l learning that Standard Australian English in written texts is read from left to right and from top to bottom of the page and that direction of print may differ in other cultures, for example Japanese texts

l learning about front and back covers; title and author, layout and navigation of digital/screen texts

l learning about simple functions of keyboard and mouse including typing letters, scrolling, selecting icons and dropdown menu

Expressing and developing ideas Elaborations

English Curriculum F10


Recognise that sentences are key units for expressing

ideas (ACELA1435)

l learning that word order in sentences is important for meaning (for example 'The boy sat on the dog', 'The dog sat on the boy')

l creating students' own written texts and reading aloud to the teacher and others

Recognise that texts are made up of words and

groups of words that make meaning (ACELA1434)

l exploring spoken, written and multimodal texts and identifying elements, for example words and images

Explore the different contribution of words and images

to meaning in stories and informative texts

(ACELA1786)

l talking about how a ‘different’ story is told if we read only the words, or only the pictures; and the story that words and pictures make when combined

l exploring how the combination of print and images in texts create meaning

Understand the use of vocabulary in familiar contexts

related to everyday experiences, personal interests

and topics taught at school (ACELA1437)

l building vocabulary through multiple speaking and listening experiences

l discussing new vocabulary found in texts

l bringing vocabulary from personal experiences, relating this to new experiences and building a vocabulary for thinking and talking about school topics

Know that spoken sounds and words can be written

down using letters of the alphabet and how to write

some highfrequency sight words and known words

(ACELA1758)

l recognising the most common sound made by each letter of the alphabet, including consonants and short vowel sounds

l writing consonantvowelconsonant words by writing letters to represent the sounds in the spoken words

l knowing that spoken words are written down by listening to the sounds heard in the word and then writing letters to represent those sounds

Know how to use onset and rime to spell words

(ACELA1438)

l breaking words into onset and rime, for example c/at

l building word families using onset and rime, for example h/ot, g/ot, n/ot, sh/ot, sp/ot

Sound and letter knowledge Elaborations

Recognise rhymes, syllables and sounds

(phonemes) in spoken words (ACELA1439)

l listening to the sounds a student hears in the word, and writing letters to represent those sounds

l identifying rhyme and syllables in spoken words

l identifying and manipulating sounds (phonemes) in spoken words

l identifying onset and rime in onesyllable spoken words



Recognise the letters of the alphabet and know there

are lower and upper case letters (ACELA1440)

l identifying familiar and recurring letters and the use of upper and lower case in written texts in the classroom and community

l using familiar and common letters in handwritten and digital communications

Literature

Literature and context Elaborations

Recognise that texts are created by authors who tell

stories and share experiences that may be similar or

different to students’ own experiences (ACELT1575)

l recognising that there are storytellers in all cultures

l viewing stories by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytellers from online sources

l comparing experiences depicted in stories with students’ own

l engaging with texts that reflect the social and cultural groups to which students belong

Responding to literature Elaborations

Respond to texts, identifying favourite stories, authors

and illustrators (ACELT1577)

l talking about stories and authors, choosing favourites, discussing how students feel about what happens in stories

l engaging with the humour in some stories and repeating favourite lines, jokes and ideas

l returning to preferred texts and commenting on reasons for selection

Share feelings and thoughts about the events and

characters in texts (ACELT1783)

l talking about stories and authors, choosing favourites, discussing how students feel about what happens in stories

l using art forms and beginning forms of writing to express personal responses to literature and film experiences

l talking about people, events and ideas in texts, enabling students to connect them to their own experiences and to express their own opinions about what is depicted

Examining literature Elaborations

Identify some features of texts including events and

characters and retell events from a text (ACELT1578)

l identifying some features of culture related to characters and events in literary texts, for example dress, food and daily routines

l listening, responding to and joining in with rhymes, poems, chants and songs

Recognise some different types of literary texts and

identify some characteristic features of literary texts, for

example beginnings and endings of traditional texts

and rhyme in poetry (ACELT1785)

l recognising cultural patterns of storytelling, for example ‘Once upon a time’, ‘A long, long time ago’



Replicate the rhythms and sound patterns in stories,

rhymes, songs and poems from a range of cultures

(ACELT1579)

l using music and actions to enhance appreciation of rhymes, poems, chants and songs

l reciting rhymes with actions

Creating literature Elaborations

Retell familiar literary texts through performance, use

of illustrations and images (ACELT1580)

l drawing, labelling and role playing representations of characters or events

l reciting rhymes with actions

l using digital technologies to retell events and recreate characters from favourite print and film texts

Literacy

Texts in context Elaborations

Identify some familiar texts and the contexts in which

they are used (ACELY1645)

l recognising the meaning of symbols in everyday contexts, for example exit signs, logos, hearts and flowers on greeting cards

Interacting with others Elaborations

Listen to and respond orally to texts and to the

communication of others in informal and structured

classroom situations (ACELY1646)

l listening to, remembering and following simple instructions

l sequencing ideas in spoken texts, retelling well known stories, retelling stories with picture cues, retelling information using story maps

l listening for specific things, for example the main idea of a short statement, the details of a story, or to answer a given question

l participating in informal situations, for example playbased experiences which involve the imaginative use of spoken language

l participating in class, group and pair discussions about shared experiences including shared texts

l asking and answering questions to clarify understanding



Use interaction skills including listening while others

speak, using appropriate voice levels, articulation and

body language, gestures and eye contact

(ACELY1784)

l learning how to use different voice levels appropriate to a situation, for example learning about ‘inside voices’ and ‘outside voices’

l learning to ask questions and provide answers that are more than one or two words

l participating in speaking and listening situations, exchanging ideas with peers in pairs and small groups and engaging in class discussions, listening to others and contributing ideas

l showing understanding of appropriate listening behaviour, such as listening without interrupting, and looking at the speaker if culturally appropriate

l listening and responding to oral and multimodal texts including rhymes and poems, texts read aloud and various types of digital texts

l engaging in conversations with peers and adults in home language or dialect

l asking and answering questions using appropriate intonation

l speaking so that the student can be heard and understood

l altering volume for inside and outside situations and when speaking to an audience

Deliver short oral presentations to peers (ACELY1647)

l sharing a personal experience, interest or discovery with peers in a semiformal situation

l using visual cues to practise staying on topic

Interpreting, analysing, evaluating Elaborations

Identify some differences between imaginative and

informative texts (ACELY1648)

l talking about what is ‘real’ and what is imagined in texts

l identifying and selecting texts for information purposes and commenting on how the text might help with a task

Read predictable texts, practising phrasing and

fluency, and monitor meaning using concepts about

print and emerging contextual, semantic, grammatical

and phonic knowledge (ACELY1649)

l navigating a text correctly, starting at the right place and reading in the right direction, returning to the next line as needed, matching one spoken word to one written word

l reading aloud with attempts at fluency and intonation

l attempting to work out unknown words by combining contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge

l predicting what might happen on the basis of experience of this kind of text; at the sentence level predicting the meaning on the basis of syntax and word meaning



Foundation Year achievement standard

Use comprehension strategies to understand and

discuss texts listened to, viewed or read independently

(ACELY1650)

l talking about the meanings in texts listened to, viewed and read

l visualising elements in a text (for example drawing an event or character from a text read aloud)

l providing a simple, correctlysequenced retelling of narrative texts

l relating one or two key facts from informative texts

l finding a key word in a text to answer a literal question

l making links between events in a text and students’ own experiences

l making an inference about a character's feelings

l discussing and sequencing events in stories

l drawing events in sequence, recognising that for some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories the sequence of events may be cyclical

Creating texts Elaborations

Create short texts to explore, record and report ideas

and events using familiar words and beginning writing

knowledge (ACELY1651)

l using imagemaking and beginning writing to represent characters and events in written, film and webbased texts

l using speaking, writing and drawing to represent and communicate personal responses to ideas and events experienced through texts

l creating short spoken, written and multimodal observations, recounts and descriptions, extending vocabulary and including some contentspecific words in spoken and written texts

l using beginning concepts about print, sound–letter and word knowledge and punctuation to create short texts

Participate in shared editing of students’ own texts for

meaning, spelling, capital letters and full stops

(ACELY1652)

l rereading collaboratively developed texts to check that they communicate what the authors intended

Produce some lower case and upper case letters

using learned letter formations (ACELY1653)

l adopting correct posture and pencil grip

l learning to produce simple handwriting movements

l following clear demonstrations of how to construct each letter (for example where to start; which direction to write)

l learning to construct lower case letters and to combine these into words

l learning to construct some upper case letters

Construct texts using software including word

processing programs (ACELY1654)

l using simple functions of keyboard and mouse including typing letters, scrolling, selecting icons and dropdown menu



Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)

By the end of the Foundation year, students use predicting and questioning strategies to make meaning from texts. They

recall one or two events from texts with familiar topics. They understand that there are different types of texts and that these

can have similar characteristics. They identify connections between texts and their personal experience.

They read short, predictable texts with familiar vocabulary and supportive images, drawing on their developing knowledge of

concepts about print and sound and letters. They identify the letters of the English alphabet and use the sounds represented

by most letters. They listen to and use appropriate language features to respond to others in a familiar environment. They

listen for rhyme, letter patterns and sounds in words.

Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)

Students understand that their texts can reflect their own experiences. They identify and describe likes and dislikes about

familiar texts, objects, characters and events.

In informal group and whole class settings, students communicate clearly. They retell events and experiences with peers

and known adults. They identify and use rhyme, letter patterns and sounds in words. When writing, students use familiar

words and phrases and images to convey ideas. Their writing shows evidence of sound and letter knowledge, beginning

writing behaviours and experimentation with capital letters and full stops. They correctly form known upper and lowercase

letters.



Year 1


learning programs should balance and integrate all three strands. Together the strands focus on developing students’


on concepts, skills and processes developed in earlier years, and teachers will revisit and strengthen these as needed.

In Year 1, students communicate with peers, teachers, known adults and students from other classes.

Students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment. They listen to, read, view and interpret spoken, written and multimodal

texts designed to entertain and inform. These encompass traditional oral texts including Aboriginal stories, picture books,

various types of stories, rhyming verse, poetry, nonfiction, film, dramatic performances, and texts used by students as

models for constructing their own texts.




Literary texts that support and extend Year 1 students as independent readers involve straightforward sequences of events

and everyday happenings with recognisably realistic or imaginary characters. Informative texts present a small amount of

new content about familiar topics of interest and topics being studied in other areas of the curriculum. These texts also

present a small range of language features, including simple and compound sentences, some unfamiliar vocabulary, a

small number of highfrequency words and words that need to be decoded phonically, and sentence boundary punctuation,

as well as illustrations and diagrams that support the printed text.

Students create a variety of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts including recounts, procedures, performances,

literary retellings and poetry.

Language


Understand that people use different systems of

communication to cater to different needs and

purposes and that many people may use sign

systems to communicate with others (ACELA1443)

l recognising how and where signs and symbols are used and placed in students’ school and community

l learning some signs in Auslan and finding out about ‘Hear a Book’ and Braille technologies for hearing and visually impaired people


Understand that language is used in combination

with other means of communication, for example

facial expressions and gestures to interact with

others (ACELA1444)

l recognising the effect of words, symbols, gestures and body language on the way communications are received by others

Understand that there are different ways of asking

for information, making offers and giving

commands (ACELA1446)

l learning the difference between questions and statements, requests and commands

l learning about different types of questions including closed and open questions and ‘where’, ‘what’, ‘who’ and ‘why’ questions




Explore different ways of expressing emotions,

including verbal, visual, body language and facial

expressions (ACELA1787)

l extending students’ vocabularies for the expression of feelings and emotions

l considering how others might respond before students express their views and how students might respond to others’ views in civil and constructive ways


Understand that the purposes texts serve shape

their structure in predictable ways (ACELA1447)

l discussing and comparing the purposes of familiar texts drawn from local contexts and interests

l becoming familiar with the typical stages of types of text including recount and procedure

l using different types of texts, for example procedures (including recipes) and discussing the text structure

Understand patterns of repetition and contrast in

simple texts (ACELA1448)

l identifying patterns of vocabulary items in texts (for example class/subclass patterns, part/whole patterns, compare/contrast patterns, causeandeffect patterns, word associations/collocation)

l discussing different types of texts and identifying some characteristic features and elements (for example language patterns and repetition) in stories and poetry

Recognise that different types of punctuation,

including full stops, question marks and

exclamation marks, signal sentences that make

statements, ask questions, express emotion or

give commands (ACELA1449)

l using intonation and pauses in response to punctuation when reading

l reading texts and identifying different sentencelevel punctuation

l writing different types of sentences, for example statements and questions, and discussing appropriate punctuation

Understand concepts about print and screen,

including how different types of texts are organised

using page numbering, tables of content, headings

and titles, navigation buttons, bars and links

(ACELA1450)

l learning about how books and digital texts are organised including page numbers, table of contents, headings, images with captions and the use of scrolling to access digital texts


Identify the parts of a simple sentence that

represent ‘What’s happening?’, ‘Who or what is

involved?’ and the surrounding circumstances

(ACELA1451)

l knowing that, in terms of meaning, a basic clause represents: a happening or a state (verb), who or what is involved (noun group/phrase), and the surrounding circumstances (adverb group/phrase)

l understanding that a simple sentence expresses a single idea, represented grammatically by a single independent clause (for example 'A kangaroo is a mammal. A mammal suckles its young')



Explore differences in words that represent people,

places and things (nouns, including pronouns),

happenings and states (verbs), qualities

(adjectives) and details such as when, where and

how (adverbs) (ACELA1452)

l talking about effective words that describe a place, person or event

l learning how a sentence can be made more vivid by adding adjectives, adverbs and unusual verbs

Compare different kinds of images in narrative and

informative texts and discuss how they contribute to

meaning (ACELA1453)

l talking about what is ‘real’ and what is imagined in texts, for example ‘This is the section about platypuses in the book about mammals’

Understand the use of vocabulary in everyday

contexts as well as a growing number of school

contexts, including appropriate use of formal and

informal terms of address in different contexts

(ACELA1454)

l learning forms of address for visitors and how to use language appropriately to ask directions and for information, for example on excursions

Know that regular onesyllable words are made up

of letters and common letter clusters that

correspond to the sounds heard, and how to use

visual memory to write highfrequency words

(ACELA1778)

l writing onesyllable words containing known blends, for example ‘bl’, ‘st’

l learning an increasing number of high frequency sight words recognised in shared texts and in texts being read independently (for example 'one', 'have', 'them', 'about')

Recognise and know how to use morphemes in

word families for example ‘play’ in ‘played’ and

‘playing’ (ACELA1455)

l building word families from common morphemes (for example 'play', 'plays', 'playing', 'played', 'playground')

l using morphemes to read words (for example by recognising the 'stem' in words such as 'walk/ed')


Manipulate sounds in spoken words including

phoneme deletion and substitution (ACELA1457)

l recognising words that start with a given sound, end with a given sound, have a given medial sound, rhyme with a given word

l recognising and producing rhyming words

l replacing sounds in spoken words (for example replace the ‘m’ in 'mat' with 'c' to form a new word 'cat')

l saying sounds in order for a given spoken word (for example f/i/sh, th/i/s)

Recognise sound—letter matches including

common vowel and consonant digraphs and

consonant blends (ACELA1458)

l saying words with the same onset as a given word (for example words that begin like 'd/og', 'bl/ue')

l saying words with the same rime as a given word (for example words that end like 'c/at', 'pl/ay')



Understand the variability of sound — letter

matches (ACELA1459)

l recognising that letters can have more than one sound (for example ‘u’ in ‘cut’, ‘put’, ‘use’ and a in ‘cat’, ‘father’, ‘any’)

l recognising sounds that can be produced by different letters (for example the /s/ sound in ‘sat’, ‘cent’, ‘scene’)

Literature


Discuss how authors create characters using

language and images (ACELT1581)

l identifying similarities between texts from different cultural traditions, for example representations of dragons in traditional European and Asian texts, and how spiritual beings are represented in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories

l identifying some features of characters and how particular words and images convey qualities of their nature, for example some characters are portrayed as shy, others adventurous

l discussing the characters of fictional animals and how they relate to those of humans


Discuss characters and events in a range of literary

texts and share personal responses to these texts,

making connections with students' own

experiences (ACELT1582)

l discussing characters from books and films and whether these are lifelike or imaginary (for example talking animals)

l comparing characters and events in texts to students’ own experiences

Express preferences for specific texts and authors

and listen to the opinions of others (ACELT1583)

l sharing favourite texts and authors and some reasons for preferences

l discussing different texts and considering what is entertaining or appealing and why

l using arts methods and role play to express personal responses to characters and events in stories

l identifying who is telling the story in different texts


Discuss features of plot, character and setting in

different types of literature and explore some

features of characters in different texts

(ACELT1584)

l examining different types of literature including traditional tales, humorous stories and poetry

l discussing similarities and differences between texts ( for example features of main characters in different stories)

l discussing features of book settings including time (year, season) and place (country or city, realistic or imagined)

l discussing how plots develop including: beginnings (orientation), how the problem (complication) is introduced and solved (resolution)



Listen to, recite and perform poems, chants,

rhymes and songs, imitating and inventing sound

patterns including alliteration and rhyme

(ACELT1585)

l exploring performance poetry, chants and songs from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Asian cultures

l listening to and performing simple haiku poems about familiar topics such as nature and the seasons


Recreate texts imaginatively using drawing, writing,

performance and digital forms of communication

(ACELT1586)

l creating visual representations of literary texts from Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Asian cultures

l writing character descriptions drawn from illustrations in stories

l retelling key events in stories using oral language, arts, digital technologies and performance media

Literacy


Respond to texts drawn from a range of cultures

and experiences (ACELY1655)

l exploring some of the meanings and teachings embedded in Dreaming stories

l using drawing and writing to depict and comment on people and places beyond their immediate experience


Engage in conversations and discussions, using

active listening behaviours, showing interest, and

contributing ideas, information and questions

(ACELY1656)

l listening for details in spoken informative texts

l participating in informal and structured class, group and pair discussions about content area topics, ideas and information

l speaking clearly and with appropriate volume

l interacting confidently and appropriately with peers, teachers, visitors and community members

l learning to value listening, questioning and positive body language and understanding that different cultures may approach these differently

l formulating different types of questions to ask a speaker, such as open and closed questions and ‘when’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions



Use interaction skills including turntaking,

recognising the contributions of others, speaking

clearly and using appropriate volume and pace

(ACELY1788)

l identifying turntaking patterns in group and pair work (for example initiating a topic, changing a topic when appropriate, staying on task, supporting other speakers, eliciting responses, being supportive and attentive listeners, asking relevant questions, providing useful feedback, prompting, checking understanding, 'sharing the talking space')

l participating in pair, group and class speaking and listening situations, including informal conversations and class discussions, contributing ideas and listening to the contributions of others

l taking turns, asking and answering questions and attempting to involve others in discussions

l demonstrating active listening behaviour and responding to what others say in pair, group and class discussions

l experimenting with voice volume and pace for particular purposes including making presentations, retelling stories and reciting rhymes and poems

l attempting correct pronunciation of new vocabulary

Make short presentations using some introduced

text structures and language, for example opening

statements (ACELY1657)

l reporting the results of group discussions

l providing simple explanations about how to do or make something

l giving short oral presentations about areas of interest or content area topics, speaking clearly and with appropriate volume and using extended vocabulary and a growing knowledge of contentspecific words


Describe some differences between imaginative

informative and persuasive texts (ACELY1658)

l comparing and discussing texts identifying some features that distinguish those that ‘tell stories’ from those that ‘give opinions’

l selecting texts for a particular purpose or task, for example a website that will give information about whales, a book that will tell a story about a possum

Read supportive texts using developing phrasing,

fluency, contextual, semantic, grammatical and

phonic knowledge and emerging text processing

strategies, for example prediction, monitoring

meaning and rereading (ACELY1659)

l using contextual and semantic knowledge to make predictions about a text’s purpose and content

l combining knowledge of context, meaning, grammar and phonics to decode text

l recognising most high frequency sight words when reading text

l selfcorrecting when reading does not make sense, using pictures, context, meaning, phonics and grammatical knowledge

l reading aloud with developing fluency and intonation



Year 1 achievement standard


Use comprehension strategies to build literal and

inferred meaning about key events, ideas and

information in texts that they listen to, view and read

by drawing on growing knowledge of context, text

structures and language features (ACELY1660)

l using elements in books and screen texts, for example illustrations, diagrams, sound and movement, to support reading

l making connections between the text and students’ own experiences, and between information in print and images

l finding key information in a text

l making inferences about characters’ feelings and motives

l building knowledge about the topic of the text and learning new vocabulary before and during reading

l making predictions from the cover, from illustrations and at points in the text before reading on

l retelling the events or key information in the text orally, in writing and/or through digital or arts media


Create short imaginative and informative texts that

show emerging use of appropriate text structure,

sentencelevel grammar, word choice, spelling,

punctuation and appropriate multimodal elements,

for example illustrations and diagrams

(ACELY1661)

l referring to learned knowledge of text structure and grammar when creating a new text

l applying new vocabulary appropriately in creating text

l learning how to plan spoken and written communications so that listeners and readers might follow the sequence of ideas or events

l beginning to consider audience in designing a communication involving visual components, selecting images for maximum impact

Reread student's own texts and discuss possible

changes to improve meaning, spelling and

punctuation (ACELY1662)

l adding or deleting words on page or screen to improve meaning, for example adding an adjective to a noun

l reading the students’ own work aloud to listen for grammatical correctness: checking use of capital letters, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks

l checking for inclusion of capital letters and full stops

l identifying words which might not be spelt correctly

l beginning to use dictionaries and classroom charts to check and correct spelling of less familiar words

Write using unjoined lower case and upper case

letters (ACELY1663)

l using correct posture and pencil grip

l learning how each letter is constructed including where to start and the direction to follow

l writing words legibly using unjoined print script of consistent size

Construct texts that incorporate supporting images

using software including word processing

programs (ACELY1664)

l creating digital images and composing a story or information sequence on screen using images and captions

l adding images to digital written communications such as emails with pictures of self, classmates or location



By the end of Year 1, students understand the different purposes of texts. They make connections to personal experience

when explaining characters and main events in short texts. They identify the language features, images and vocabulary used

to describe characters and events.

Students read aloud, with developing fluency and intonation, short texts with some unfamiliar vocabulary, simple and

compound sentences and supportive images. When reading, they use knowledge of sounds and letters, high frequency

words, sentence boundary punctuation and directionality to make meaning. They recall key ideas and recognise literal and

implied meaning in texts. They listen to others when taking part in conversations, using appropriate language features. They

listen for and reproduce letter patterns and letter clusters.


Students understand how characters in texts are developed and give reasons for personal preferences. They create texts that

show understanding of the connection between writing, speech and images.

They create short texts for a small range of purposes. They interact in pair, group and class discussions, taking turns when

responding. They make short presentations of a few connected sentences on familiar and learned topics. When writing,

students provide details about ideas or events. They accurately spell words with regular spelling patterns and use capital

letters and full stops. They correctly form all upper and lowercase letters.



Year 2





In Year 2, students communicate with peers, teachers, students from other classes, and community members.


texts in which the primary purpose is to entertain, as well as texts designed to inform and persuade. These encompass

traditional oral texts, picture books, various types of print and digital stories, simple chapter books, rhyming verse, poetry,

nonfiction, film, multimodal texts, dramatic performances, and texts used by students as models for constructing their own

work.




Literary texts that support and extend Year 2 students as independent readers involve sequences of events that span several

pages and present unusual happenings within a framework of familiar experiences. Informative texts present new content

about topics of interest and topics being studied in other areas of the curriculum. These texts include language features such

as varied sentence structures, some unfamiliar vocabulary, a significant number of highfrequency sight words and words

that need to be decoded phonically, and a range of punctuation conventions, as well as illustrations and diagrams that both

support and extend the printed text.

Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts including imaginative retellings, reports,

performances, poetry and expositions.

Language


Understand that spoken, visual and written forms of

language are different modes of communication with

different features and their use varies according to the

audience, purpose, context and cultural background

(ACELA1460)

l identifying examples and features of different kinds of spoken, nonverbal, written and visual communication from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and from several Asian cultures within Australia, and associating those features with particular communities

l recognising some phrases in the languages of the class and community, for example greetings and expressions of politeness


Understand that language varies when people take on

different roles in social and classroom interactions and

how the use of key interpersonal language resources

varies depending on context (ACELA1461)

l exploring how terms of address are used to signal different kinds of relationships

l exploring the differences between giving a presentation and talking to friends

l exploring culturally specific greetings and expressions of politeness




Identify language that can be used for appreciating texts

and the qualities of people and things (ACELA1462)

l exploring how language is used to express feelings including learning vocabulary to express a gradation of feeling, for example ‘happy’, ‘joyful’, ‘pleased’, ‘contented’

l exploring in stories, everyday and media texts moral and social dilemmas; such as right and wrong, fairness/unfairness, inclusion and exclusion; learning to use language to describe actions and consider consequences

l exploring how language is used to construct characters and settings in narratives, including choice of nouns such as ‘girl’, ‘princess’ or ‘orphan’, and choice of adjectives such as ‘gentle’, ‘timid’ or ‘frightened’


Understand that different types of texts have identifiable

text structures and language features that help the text

serve its purpose (ACELA1463)

l identifying the topic and type of a text through its visual presentation, for example cover design, packaging, title/subtitle and images

l becoming familiar with the typical stages of text types, for example simple narratives, instructions and expositions

Understand how texts are made cohesive through

resources, for example word associations, synonyms,

and antonyms (ACELA1464)

l exploring how texts develop their themes and ideas, building information through connecting similar and contrasting dissimilar things

l mapping examples of word associations in texts, for example words that refer to the main character

Recognise that capital letters signal proper nouns and

commas are used to separate items in lists

(ACELA1465)

l talking about how a comma can be used to separate two or more elements in a list, for example ‘At the museum they saw a tiger, a dinosaur and two snakes’

Know some features of text organisation including page

and screen layouts, alphabetical order, and different

types of diagrams, for example timelines (ACELA1466)

l recognising how chapters and table of contents, alphabetical order of index and glossary operate to guide access to information

l learning about features of screen texts including menu buttons, drop down menus, links and live connections


Understand that simple connections can be made

between ideas by using a compound sentence with two

or more clauses usually linked by a coordinating

conjunction (ACELA1467)

l learning how to express ideas using compound sentences

l learning how to join simple sentences with conjunctions, for example ‘and’, ‘but’ or ‘so’, to construct compound sentences



Understand that nouns represent people, places, things

and ideas and can be, for example, common, proper,

concrete or abstract, and that noun groups/phrases can

be expanded using articles and adjectives (ACELA1468)

l exploring texts and identifying nouns that refer to characters, elements of the setting, and ideas

l exploring illustrations and noun groups/phrases in picture books to identify how the participants have been represented by an illustrator

l exploring names of people and places and how to write them using capital letters

l building extended noun groups/phrases that provide a clear description of an item

Identify visual representations of characters’ actions,

reactions, speech and thought processes in narratives,

and consider how these images add to or contradict or

multiply the meaning of accompanying words

(ACELA1469)

l comparing two versions of the same story, for example ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, identifying how a character’s actions and reactions are depicted differently by different illustrators

Understand the use of vocabulary about familiar and

new topics and experiment with and begin to make

conscious choices of vocabulary to suit audience and

purpose (ACELA1470)

l interpreting new terminology drawing on prior knowledge, analogies and connections with known words

Understand how to use digraphs, long vowels, blends

and silent letters to spell words, and use morphemes

and syllabification to break up simple words and use

visual memory to write irregular words (ACELA1471)

l drawing on knowledge of high frequency sight words

l drawing on knowledge of sound–letter relationships (for example breaking words into syllables and phonemes)

l using known words in writing and spell unknown words using developing visual, graphophonic and morphemic knowledge

Recognise common prefixes and suffixes and how they

change a word’s meaning (ACELA1472)

l joining discussion about how a prefix or suffix affects meaning, for example uncomfortable, older, and division


Recognise most sound–letter matches including silent

letters, vowel/consonant digraphs and many less

common sound–letter combinations (ACELA1474)

l recognising when some letters are silent, for example knife, listen, castle, and providing the sound for less common soundletter matches, for example ‘tion’

Literature




Discuss how depictions of characters in print, sound

and images reflect the contexts in which they were

created (ACELT1587)

l exploring iconography of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures

l recognising recurring characters, settings and themes in Dreaming stories experienced through texts, films and online sources

l discussing moral and teaching stories from varied cultures, identifying and comparing their central messages


Compare opinions about characters, events and

settings in and between texts (ACELT1589)

l discussing each others’ preferences for stories set in familiar or unfamiliar worlds, or about people whose lives are like or unlike their own

Identify aspects of different types of literary texts that

entertain, and give reasons for personal preferences

(ACELT1590)

l describing features of texts from different cultures including recurring language patterns, style of illustrations, elements of humour or drama, and identifying the features which give rise to their personal preferences

l connecting the feelings and behaviours of animals in anthropomorphic stories with human emotions and relationships

l drawing, writing and using digital technologies to capture and communicate favourite characters and events


Discuss the characters and settings of different texts

and explore how language is used to present these

features in different ways (ACELT1591)

l describing features of text settings including time, colours used to portray year, season, and place (country or city) and how this impacts on the characters

l describing plots including beginnings (orientation), how the problem (complication) is introduced and solved (resolution), and considering how these features construct meanings

l identifying features of imaginary or fantasy texts, for example magic powers, shifts in time

l investigating Aboriginal stories, found from online sources, that explain physical features of the landscape and identify and describe the common features of language used

l comparing two or more versions of the same story by different authors or from different cultures, describing similarities and differences in authors’ points of view

Identify, reproduce and experiment with rhythmic, sound

and word patterns in poems, chants, rhymes and songs

(ACELT1592)

l exploring poems, chants, rhymes or songs from different cultures which class members may bring from home

l learning to recite, sing or create interpretations of poems, chants, rhymes or songs from students’ own and other different cultures




Create events and characters using different media that

develop key events and characters from literary texts

(ACELT1593)

l creating imaginative reconstructions of stories and poetry using a range of print and digital media

l telling known stories from a different point of view

l orally, in writing or using digital media, constructing a sequel to a known story

Literacy


Discuss different texts on a similar topic, identifying

similarities and differences between the texts

(ACELY1665)

l identifying examples and features of different kinds of spoken, nonverbal, written and visual communication from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and from several Asian cultures within Australia

l comparing two or more versions of the same topic by different authors or from different cultures, describing similarities and differences


Listen for specific purposes and information, including

instructions, and extend students’ own and others' ideas

in discussions (ACELY1666)

l using spoken language for problem solving, and exploring ideas and concepts

l listening for specific information and providing two or more key facts from an informative text spoken or read aloud

l listening to, remembering and responding to detailed instructions

Use interaction skills including initiating topics, making

positive statements and voicing disagreement in an

appropriate manner, speaking clearly and varying tone,

volume and pace appropriately (ACELY1789)

l discussing appropriate conventions to use in group discussions

l exploring ways to comment on what others say, including using sentence starters such as ‘I like the way you…’, ‘I agree that …’, ‘I have a different thought…’, ‘I’d like to say something different…’

l participating in pair, group and class speaking and listening situations, including informal conversations, class discussions and presentations

l demonstrating appropriate listening behaviour, responding to and paraphrasing a partner’s contribution to a discussion, such as think/pair/share activities

l asking relevant questions and making connections with personal experiences and the contributions of others

l brainstorming topics, contributing ideas and acknowledging the ideas of others

l speaking clearly and with appropriate intonation

l understanding how to disagree with a point of view or offer an alternative idea courteously

l experimenting with presentation strategies such as pitch, volume and intonation



Rehearse and deliver short presentations on familiar

and new topics (ACELY1667)

l adjusting presentation for different audiences

l preparing and giving oral presentations, including reports of group discussions, using more formal speech and specific vocabulary about content area topics

l listening and responding to presentations, including those using multimedia, on familiar and learned topics, recording key information, and connecting new and existing knowledge about a topic


Identify the audience of imaginative, informative and

persuasive texts (ACELY1668)

l identifying the main purpose of a text, including whether the author wants to entertain, explain or persuade and considering how audiences might respond to those texts

Read less predictable texts with phrasing and fluency by

combining contextual, semantic, grammatical and

phonic knowledge using text processing strategies, for

example monitoring meaning, predicting, rereading and

selfcorrecting (ACELY1669)

l using prior and learned knowledge and vocabulary to make and confirm predictions when reading text

l using grammatical knowledge to predict likely sentence patterns when reading more complex narratives and informative texts

l using knowledge of sound–letter relationships and high frequency sight words when decoding text

l monitoring own reading and selfcorrecting when reading does not make sense, using illustrations, context, phonics, grammar knowledge and prior and learned topic knowledge

l using grammar and meaning to read aloud with fluency and intonation

Use comprehension strategies to build literal and

inferred meaning and begin to analyse texts by drawing

on growing knowledge of context, language and visual

features and print and multimodal text structures

(ACELY1670)

l making connections between the text and students’ own experiences and experiences with other texts, comparing authors’ differing point of view on a topic

l making connections between information in print and images

l building on and using prior knowledge and vocabulary

l making valid inferences using information in a text and students’ own prior knowledge

l predicting, asking and answering questions as they read, and summarising and reviewing meaning


Create short imaginative, informative and persuasive

texts using growing knowledge of text structures and

language features for familiar and some less familiar

audiences, selecting print and multimodal elements

appropriate to the audience and purpose (ACELY1671)

l learning how to plan spoken and written communications so that listeners and readers might follow the sequence of ideas or events

l sequencing content according to text structure

l using appropriate simple and compound sentence to express and combine ideas

l using vocabulary, including technical vocabulary, appropriate to text type and purpose





By the end of Year 2, students understand how similar texts share characteristics by identifying text structures and language

features used to describe characters, settings and events.

They read texts that contain varied sentence structures, some unfamiliar vocabulary, a significant number of high frequency

sight words and images that provide additional information. They monitor meaning and selfcorrect using context, prior

knowledge, punctuation, language and phonic knowledge. They identify literal and implied meaning, main ideas and

supporting detail. Students make connections between texts by comparing content. They listen for particular purposes. They

listen for and manipulate sound combinations and rhythmic sound patterns.


When discussing their ideas and experiences, students use everyday language features and topicspecific vocabulary. They

explain their preferences for aspects of texts using other texts as comparisons. They create texts that show how images

support the meaning of the text.

Students create texts, drawing on their own experiences, their imagination and information they have learned. They use a

variety of strategies to engage in group and class discussions and make presentations. They accurately spell familiar words

and attempt to spell less familiar words and use punctuation accurately. They legibly write unjoined upper and lowercase

letters.

Reread and edit text for spelling, sentenceboundary

punctuation and text structure (ACELY1672)

l reading their work and adding, deleting or changing words, prepositional phrases or sentences to improve meaning, for example replacing an everyday noun with a technical one in an informative text

l checking spelling using a dictionary

l checking for inclusion of relevant punctuation including capital letters to signal names, as well as sentence beginnings, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks

l making significant changes to their texts using a word processing program ( for example add, delete or move sentences)

Write legibly and with growing fluency using unjoined

upper case and lower case letters (ACELY1673)

l using correct pencil grip and posture

l writing sentences legibly and fluently using unjoined print script of consistent size

Construct texts featuring print, visual and audio

elements using software, including word processing

programs (ACELY1674)

l experimenting with and combining elements of software programs to create texts



Year 3





In Years 3 and 4, students communicate with peers and teachers from other classes and schools in a range of facetoface

and online/virtual environments.


texts in which the primary purpose is to entertain, as well as texts designed to inform and persuade. These encompass

traditional oral texts including picture books, various types of print and digital texts, simple chapter books, rhyming verse,

poetry, nonfiction film, multimodal texts, dramatic performances, and texts used by students as models for constructing their

own work.




Literary texts that support and extend students in Years 3 and 4 as independent readers describe complex sequences of

events that extend over several pages and involve unusual happenings within a framework of familiar experiences.

Informative texts present new content about topics of interest and topics being studied in other areas of the curriculum. These

texts use complex language features, including varied sentence structures, some unfamiliar vocabulary, a significant number

of highfrequency sight words and words that need to be decoded phonically, and a range of punctuation conventions, as well

as illustrations and diagrams that both support and extend the printed text.

Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive types of texts including narratives, procedures,

performances, reports, reviews, poetry and expositions.

Language


Understand that languages have different

written and visual communication systems,

different oral traditions and different ways of

constructing meaning (ACELA1475)

l learning that a word or sign can carry different weight in different cultural contexts, for example that particular respect is due to some people and creatures and that stories can be passed on to teach us how to live appropriately


Understand that successful cooperation

with others depends on shared use of

social conventions, including turntaking

patterns, and forms of address that vary

according to the degree of formality in

social situations (ACELA1476)

l identifying roles and collaborative patterns in students’ own groups and pair work (for example initiating a topic, changing a topic through negotiation, affirming other speakers and building on their comments, asking relevant questions, providing useful feedback, prompting and checking individual and group understanding)




Examine how evaluative language can be

varied to be more or less forceful

(ACELA1477)

l exploring how modal verbs, for example ‘must’, ‘might’,’ or ‘could’ indicate degrees of certainty, command or obligation

l distinguishing how choice of adverbs, nouns and verbs present different evaluations of characters in texts


Understand how different types of texts vary

in use of language choices, depending on

their purpose and context (for example,

tense and types of sentences)

(ACELA1478)

l becoming familiar with typical structural stages and language features of various types of text, for example narratives, procedures, reports, reviews and expositions

Understand that paragraphs are a key

organisational feature of written texts

(ACELA1479)

l noticing how longer texts are organised into paragraphs, each beginning with a topic sentence/paragraph opener which predicts how the paragraph will develop and is then elaborated in various ways

Know that word contractions are a feature

of informal language and that apostrophes

of contraction are used to signal missing

letters (ACELA1480)

l recognising both grammatically accurate and inaccurate usage of the apostrophe in everyday texts such as signs in the community and newspaper advertisements

Identify the features of online texts that

enhance navigation (ACELA1790)

l becoming familiar with the typical features of online texts, for example navigation bars and buttons, hyperlinks and sitemaps


Understand that a clause is a unit of

grammar usually containing a subject and

a verb and that these need to be in

agreement (ACELA1481)

l knowing that a clause is basically a group of words that contains a verb

l knowing that, in terms of meaning, a basic clause represents: what is happening; who or what is participating, and the surrounding circumstances

Understand that verbs represent different

processes (doing, thinking, saying, and

relating) and that these processes are

anchored in time through tense

(ACELA1482)

l identifying different types of verbs and the way they add meaning to a sentence

l exploring action and saying verbs in narrative texts to show how they give information about what characters do and say

l exploring the use of sensing verbs and how they allow readers to know what characters think and feel

l exploring the use of relating verbs in constructing definitions and descriptions

l learning how time is represented through the tense of a verb and other structural, language and visual features



Identify the effect on audiences of

techniques, for example shot size, vertical

camera angle and layout in picture books,

advertisements and film segments

(ACELA1483)

l noting how the relationship between characters can be depicted in illustrations through: the positioning of the characters (for example facing each other or facing away from each other); the distance between them; the relative size; one character looking up (or down) at the other (power relationships); facial expressions and body gesture

l observing how images construct a relationship with the viewer through such strategies as: direct gaze into the viewer's eyes, inviting involvement and how close ups are more engaging than distanced images, which can suggest alienation or loneliness

Learn extended and technical vocabulary

and ways of expressing opinion including

modal verbs and adverbs (ACELA1484)

l exploring examples of language which demonstrate a range of feelings and positions, and building a vocabulary to express judgments about characters or events, acknowledging that language and judgments might differ depending on the cultural context

Understand how to use sound–letter

relationships and knowledge of spelling

rules, compound words, prefixes, suffixes,

morphemes and less common letter

combinations, for example

‘tion’ (ACELA1485)

l using spelling strategies such as: phonological knowledge (for example diphthongs and other ambiguous vowel sounds in more complex words); threeletter clusters (for example 'thr', 'shr', 'squ'); visual knowledge (for example more complex single syllable homophones such as 'break/brake', 'ate/eight'); morphemic knowledge (for example inflectional endings in single syllable words, plural and past tense); generalisations (for example to make a word plural when it ends in 's', 'sh', 'ch', or 'z' add 'es')

Recognise high frequency sight words

(ACELA1486)

l becoming familiar with most highfrequency sight words

Literature


Discuss texts in which characters, events

and settings are portrayed in different ways,

and speculate on the authors’ reasons

(ACELT1594)

l reading texts in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children/young people are the central characters/protagonists and making links to students’ own lives, noting similarities

l exploring the ways that the same story can be told in many cultures, identifying variations in the storyline and in music (for example ‘The Ramayana’ story which is told to children in India, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Laos, Tibet and Malaysia)


Draw connections between personal

experiences and the worlds of texts, and

share responses with others (ACELT1596)

l discussing relevant prior knowledge and past experiences to make meaningful connections to the people, places, events, issues and ideas in the text

l exploring texts that highlight issues and problems in making moral decisions and discussing these with others

l drawing on literature from Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Asian cultures, to explore commonalities of experience and ideas as well as recognising difference in lifestyle and world view



Develop criteria for establishing personal

preferences for literature (ACELT1598)

l building a conscious understanding of preference regarding topics and genres of personal interest (for example humorous short stories, school and family stories, mysteries, fantasy and quest, series books)

l selecting and discussing favourite texts and explaining their reasons for assigning greater or lesser merit to particular texts or types of texts


Discuss how language is used to describe

the settings in texts, and explore how the

settings shape the events and influence the

mood of the narrative (ACELT1599)

l identifying and discussing the use of descriptive adjectives (‘in the middle of a vast, bare plain’) to establish setting and atmosphere (‘the castle loomed dark and forbidding’) and to draw readers into events that follow

l discussing the language used to describe the traits of characters in stories, their actions and motivations: ‘Claire was so lonely; she desperately wanted a pet and she was afraid she would do anything, just anything, to have one to care for’

Discuss the nature and effects of some

language devices used to enhance

meaning and shape the reader’s reaction,

including rhythm and onomatopoeia in

poetry and prose (ACELT1600)

l identifying the effect of imagery in texts, for example the use of imagery related to nature in haiku poems

l exploring how rhythm, onomatopoeia and alliteration give momentum to poetry and prose read aloud, and enhance enjoyment


Create imaginative texts based on

characters, settings and events from

students’ own and other cultures using

visual features, for example perspective,

distance and angle (ACELT1601)

l drawing on literary texts read, viewed and listened to for inspiration and ideas, appropriating language to create mood and characterisation

l innovating on texts read, viewed and listened to by changing the point of view, revising an ending or creating a sequel

Create texts that adapt language features

and patterns encountered in literary texts,

for example characterisation, rhyme,

rhythm, mood, music, sound effects and

dialogue (ACELT1791)

l creating visual and multimodal texts based on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander or Asian literature, applying one or more visual elements to convey the intent of the original text

l creating multimodal texts that combine visual images, sound effects, music and voice overs to convey settings and events in a fantasy world

Literacy




Identify the point of view in a text and

suggest alternative points of view

(ACELY1675)

l discussing how a text presents the point of view of the main character, and speculating on what other characters might think or feel

l recognising that there is more than one way of looking at the same event and that stories seen through the eyes of one character privileges some aspects of the story over others

l speculating about what other characters might think or feel and retelling the story from other perspectives (for example ‘Cinderella’ from the view of the ‘Ugly Sisters’)


Listen to and contribute to conversations

and discussions to share information and

ideas and negotiate in collaborative

situations (ACELY1676)

l participating in collaborative discussions, building on and connecting ideas and opinions expressed by others, and checking students’ own understanding against group views

Use interaction skills, including active

listening behaviours and communicate in a

clear, coherent manner using a variety of

everyday and learned vocabulary and

appropriate tone, pace, pitch and volume

(ACELY1792)

l participating in pair, group and class speaking and listening situations, including informal conversations, class discussions and presentations

l listening actively including listening for specific information, recognising the value of others’ contributions and responding through comments, recounts and summaries of information

l learning the specific speaking or listening skills of different group roles, for example group leader, note taker and reporter

l acquiring new vocabulary in all curriculum areas through listening, reading, viewing and discussion and using this vocabulary in specific ways such as describing people, places, things and processes

l using language appropriately in different situations such as making a request of a teacher, explaining a procedure to a classmate, engaging in a game with friends

l experimenting with voice effects in formal presentations such as tone, volume and pace

Plan and deliver short presentations,

providing some key details in logical

sequence (ACELY1677)

l drawing on relevant research into a topic to prepare an oral or multimodal presentation, using devices such as storyboards to plan the sequence of ideas and information


Identify the audience and purpose of

imaginative, informative and persuasive

texts (ACELY1678)

l identifying the author’s point of view on a topic and key words and images that seem intended to persuade listeners, viewers or readers to agree with the view presented



Read an increasing range of different types

of texts by combining contextual, semantic,

grammatical and phonic knowledge, using

text processing strategies, for example

monitoring, predicting, confirming,

rereading, reading on and selfcorrecting

(ACELY1679)

l combining different types of knowledge (for example word knowledge, vocabulary, grammar, phonics) to make decisions about unknown words, reading on, reviewing and summarising meaning

l analysing the way illustrations help to construct meaning and interpreting different types of illustrations and graphics

l reading text types from a student’s culture to enhance confidence in building reading strategies

l reading aloud with fluency and intonation

l reading a wider range of texts, including chapter books and informative texts, for pleasure

Use comprehension strategies to build

literal and inferred meaning and begin to

evaluate texts by drawing on a growing

knowledge of context, text structures and

language features (ACELY1680)

l making connections between the text and students own experience and other texts

l making connections between the information in print and images

l making predictions and asking and answering questions about the text drawing on knowledge of the topic, subjectspecific vocabulary and experience of texts on the same topic

l using text features and search tools to locate information in written and digital texts efficiently

l determining important ideas, events or details in texts commenting on things learned or questions raised by reading, referring explicitly to the text for verification

l making considered inferences taking into account topic knowledge or a character’s likely actions and feelings


Plan, draft and publish imaginative,

informative and persuasive texts

demonstrating increasing control over text

structures and language features and

selecting print,and multimodal elements

appropriate to the audience and purpose

(ACELY1682)

l using print and digital resources to gather information about a topic

l selecting appropriate text structure for a writing purpose and sequencing content for clarity and audience impact

l using appropriate simple, compound and complex sentences to express and combine ideas

l using vocabulary, including technical vocabulary, relevant to the text type and purpose, and appropriate sentence structures to express and combine ideas

Reread and edit texts for meaning,

appropriate structure, grammatical choices

and punctuation (ACELY1683)

l using glossaries, print and digital dictionaries and spell check to edit spelling, realising that spell check accuracy depends on understanding the word function, for example there/their; rain/reign

Write using joined letters that are clearly

formed and consistent in size (ACELY1684)

l practising how to join letters to construct a fluent handwriting style





By the end of Year 3, students understand how content can be organised using different text structures depending on the

purpose of the text. They understand how language features, images and vocabulary choices are used for different effects.

They read texts that contain varied sentence structures, a range of punctuation conventions, and images that provide

additional information. They identify literal and implied meaning connecting ideas in different parts of a text. They select

information, ideas and events in texts that relate to their own lives and to other texts. They listen to others’ views and respond

appropriately.


Students understand how language features are used to link and sequence ideas. They understand how language can be

used to express feelings and opinions on topics. Their texts include writing and images to express and develop in some

detail experiences, events, information, ideas and characters.

Students create a range of texts for familiar and unfamiliar audiences. They contribute actively to class and group

discussions, asking questions, providing useful feedback and making presentations. They demonstrate understanding of

grammar and choose vocabulary and punctuation appropriate to the purpose and context of their writing. They use

knowledge of sounds and high frequency words to spell words accurately, checking their work for meaning. They write using

joined letters that are accurately formed and consistent in size.

Use software including word processing

programs with growing speed and

efficiency to construct and edit texts

featuring visual, print and audio elements

(ACELY1685)

l using features of relevant technologies to plan, sequence, compose and edit multimodal texts



Year 4





In Years 3 and 4, students experience learning in familiar contexts and a range of contexts that relate to study in other areas

of the curriculum. They interact with peers and teachers from other classes and schools in a range of facetoface and

online/virtual environments.


texts in which the primary purpose is aesthetic, as well as texts designed to inform and persuade. These encompass

traditional oral texts including Aboriginal stories, picture books, various types of print and digital texts, simple chapter books,

rhyming verse, poetry, nonfiction, film, multimodal texts, dramatic performances, and texts used by students as models for

constructing their own work.




Literary texts that support and extend students in Years 3 and 4 as independent readers describe complex sequences of

events that extend over several pages and involve unusual happenings within a framework of familiar experiences.

Informative texts present new content about topics of interest and topics being studied in other areas of the curriculum. These

texts use complex language features, including varied sentence structures, some unfamiliar vocabulary, a significant number

of highfrequency sight words and words that need to be decoded phonically, and a variety of punctuation conventions, as

well as illustrations and diagrams that both support and extend the printed text.


performances, reports, reviews, poetry and expositions.

Language


Understand that Standard Australian English is

one of many social dialects used in Australia,

and that while it originated in England it has been

influenced by many other languages

(ACELA1487)

l identifying words used in Standard Australian English that are derived from other languages, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, and determining if the original meaning is reflected in English usage, for example kangaroo, tsunami, typhoon, amok, orangutan

l identifying commonly used words derived from other cultures





Understand that social interactions influence the

way people engage with ideas and respond to

others for example when exploring and clarifying

the ideas of others, summarising their own views

and reporting them to a larger group

(ACELA1488)

l recognising that we can use language differently with our friends and families, but that Standard Australian English is typically used in written school texts and more formal contexts

l recognising that language is adjusted in different contexts, for example in degree of formality when moving between group discussions and presenting a group report

l understanding how age, status, expertise and familiarity influence the ways in which we interact with people and how these codes and conventions vary across cultures

l recognising the importance of using inclusive language

Understand differences between the language of

opinion and feeling and the language of factual

reporting or recording (ACELA1489)

l identifying ways thinking verbs are used to express opinion, for example ‘I think’, ‘I believe’, and ways summary verbs are used to report findings, for example ‘we concluded’


Understand how texts vary in complexity and

technicality depending on the approach to the

topic, the purpose and the intended audience

(ACELA1490)

l becoming familiar with the typical stages and language features of such text types as: simple narrative, procedure, simple persuasion texts and information reports

Understand how texts are made cohesive

through the use of linking devices including

pronoun reference and text connectives

(ACELA1491)

l knowing how authors construct texts that are cohesive and coherent through the use of: pronouns that link to something previously mentioned; determiners (for example ‘this’, ‘that’, ‘these’, ‘those’, ‘the’,); text connectives that create links between sentences (for example ‘however’, ‘therefore’, ‘nevertheless’, ‘in addition’, ‘by contrast’, ‘in summary’)

l identifying how participants are tracked through a text by, for example, using pronouns to refer back to noun groups/phrases

l describing how texts connectives link sections of a text providing sequences through time, for example ‘firstly’, ‘then’, ‘next’, and ‘finally’

Recognise how quotation marks are used in

texts to signal dialogue, titles and quoted (direct)

speech (ACELA1492)

l exploring texts to identify the use of quotation marks

l experimenting with the use of quotation marks in students’ own writing

Identify features of online texts that enhance

readability including text, navigation, links,

graphics and layout (ACELA1793)

l participating in online searches for information using navigation tools and discussing similarities and differences between print and digital information




Understand that the meaning of sentences can

be enriched through the use of noun

groups/phrases and verb groups/phrases and

prepositional phrases (ACELA1493)

l creating richer, more specific descriptions through the use of noun groups/phrases (for example, in narrative texts, ‘their very old Siamese cat’; in reports, 'its extremely high mountain ranges')

Investigate how quoted (direct) and reported

(indirect) speech work in different types of text

(ACELA1494)

l investigating examples of quoted (direct) speech (‘He said, “I’ll go to the park today”’) and reported (indirect) speech (‘He told me he was going to the park today’) and comparing similarities and differences

Understand how adverb groups/phrases and

prepositional phrases work in different ways to

provide circumstantial details about an activity

(ACELA1495)

l investigating in texts how adverb group/phrases and prepositional phrases can provide details of the circumstances surrounding a happening or state (for example, ‘At midnight (time) he rose slowly (manner) from the chair (place) and went upstairs (place)’

Explore the effect of choices when framing an

image, placement of elements in the image, and

salience on composition of still and moving

images in a range of types of texts (ACELA1496)

l examining visual and multimodal texts, building a vocabulary to describe visual elements and techniques such as framing, composition and visual point of view and beginning to understand how these choices impact on viewer response

Incorporate new vocabulary from a range of

sources into students’ own texts including

vocabulary encountered in research

(ACELA1498)

l building etymological knowledge about word origins (for example 'thermometer') and building vocabulary from research about technical and subject specific topics

Understand how to use strategies for spelling

words, including spelling rules, knowledge of

morphemic word families, spelling

generalisations, and letter combinations

including double letters (ACELA1779)

l using phonological knowledge (for example long vowel patterns in multisyllabic words); consonant clusters (for example 'straight', 'throat', 'screen', 'squawk')

l using visual knowledge (for example diphthongs in more complex words and other ambiguous vowel sounds, as in 'oy', 'oi', 'ou', 'ow', 'ould', 'u', 'ough', 'au', 'aw'); silent beginning consonant patterns (for example 'gn' and 'kn')

l applying generalisations, for example doubling (for example 'running'); 'e'drop (for example 'hoping')

Recognise homophones and know how to use

context to identify correct spelling (ACELA1780)

l using meaning and context when spelling words (for example when differentiating between homophones such as ‘to’, ‘too’, ‘two’

Literature




Make connections between the ways different

authors may represent similar storylines, ideas

and relationships (ACELT1602)

l commenting on how authors have established setting and period in different cultures and times and the relevance of characters, actions and beliefs to their own time

l comparing different authors’ treatment of similar themes and text patterns, for example comparing fables and allegories from different cultures and quest novels by different authors


Discuss literary experiences with others, sharing

responses and expressing a point of view

(ACELT1603)

l sharing and discussing students’ own and others’ understanding of the effects of particular literary techniques on their appreciation of texts

l drawing comparisons between multiple texts and students’ own experiences. Commenting orally, in written form and in digital reviews on aspects such as: 'Do I recognise this in my own world?'; 'How is this text similar to or different from other texts I’ve read?'; 'How common is it to human experience in the real world?'; 'What new ideas does it bring?'; ’How do they fit with what I believe?'

Use metalanguage to describe the effects of

ideas, text structures and language features of

literary texts (ACELT1604)

l examining the author’s description of a character’s appearance, behaviour and speech and noting how the character’s development is evident through his or her dialogue and changing relationships and the reactions of other characters to him or her

l sharing views using appropriate metalanguage (for example ‘The use of the adjectives in describing the character really helps to create images for the reader’)


Discuss how authors and illustrators make

stories exciting, moving and absorbing and hold

readers’ interest by using various techniques, for

example character development and plot tension

(ACELT1605)

l examining the author’s description of a character’s appearance, behaviour and speech and noting how the character’s development is evident through his or her dialogue and changing relationships and the reactions of other characters to him or her

l identifying pivotal points in the plot where characters are faced with choices and commenting on how the author makes us care about their decisions and consequences

Understand, interpret and experiment with a

range of devices and deliberate word play in

poetry and other literary texts, for example

nonsense words, spoonerisms, neologisms and

puns (ACELT1606)

l defining spoonerisms, neologisms and puns and exploring how they are used by authors to create a sense of freshness, originality and playfulness

l discussing poetic language, including unusual adjectival use and how it engages us emotionally and brings to life the poet’s subject matter (for example ‘He grasps the crag with crooked hands’/wee timorous beastie)


Create literary texts that explore students’ own

experiences and imagining (ACELT1607)

l drawing upon literary texts students have encountered and experimenting with changing particular aspects, for example the time or place of the setting, adding characters or changing their personalities, or offering an alternative point of view on key ideas



Create literary texts by developing storylines,

characters and settings (ACELT1794)

l collaboratively plan, compose, sequence and prepare a literary text along a familiar storyline, using film, sound and images to convey setting, characters and points of drama in the plot

Literacy


Identify and explain language features of texts

from earlier times and compare with the

vocabulary, images, layout and content of

contemporary texts (ACELY1686)

l viewing documentaries and news footage from different periods, comparing the style of presentation, including costumes and iconography with contemporary texts on similar topics and tracking changing views on issues, for example war, race, gender


Interpret ideas and information in spoken texts

and listen for key points in order to carry out tasks

and use information to share and extend ideas

and information (ACELY1687)

l making notes about a task, asking questions to clarify or follow up information, and seeking assistance if required

l discussing levels of language — slang, colloquial (everyday) and formal language — and how their appropriateness changes with the situation and audience. Presenting ideas and opinions at levels of formality appropriate to the context and audience

Use interaction skills such as acknowledging

another’s point of view and linking students’

response to the topic, using familiar and new

vocabulary and a range of vocal effects such as

tone, pace, pitch and volume to speak clearly and

coherently (ACELY1688)

l participating in pair, group, class and school speaking and listening situations, including informal conversations, class discussions and presentations

l developing appropriate speaking and listening behaviours including acknowledging and extending others’ contributions, presenting ideas and opinions clearly and coherently

l choosing a variety of appropriate words and prepositional phrases, including descriptive words and some technical vocabulary, to communicate meaning accurately

l exploring the effects of changing voice tone, volume, pitch and pace in formal and informal contexts

Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations

incorporating learned content and taking into

account the particular purposes and audiences

(ACELY1689)

l reporting on a topic in an organised manner, providing relevant facts and descriptive detail to enhance audience understanding, and beginning to refer to reliable sources to support claims


Identify characteristic features used in

imaginative, informative and persuasive texts to

meet the purpose of the text (ACELY1690)

l describing the language which authors use to create imaginary worlds; how textual features such as headings, subheadings, bold type and graphic organisers are used to order and present information, and how visual codes are used, for example those used in advertising to represent children and families so that viewers identify with them



Read different types of texts by combining

contextual , semantic, grammatical and phonic

knowledge using text processing strategies for

example monitoring meaning, cross checking

and reviewing (ACELY1691)

l reading new and different kinds of texts with the use of established word identification strategies, including knowledge of the topic and of text type together with self monitoring strategies; including rereading, self questioning and pausing, and including self correction strategies such confirming and crosschecking

l reading aloud with fluency and expression

l reading a wide range of different types of texts for pleasure

Use comprehension strategies to build literal

and inferred meaning to expand content

knowledge, integrating and linking ideas and

analysing and evaluating texts (ACELY1692)

l making connections between the text and students’ own experience and other texts


l building and using prior knowledge and vocabulary

l finding specific literal information

l asking and answering questions

l creating mental images

l finding the main idea of a text

l inferring meaning from the ways communication occurs in digital environments including the interplay between words, images, and sounds

l bringing subject and technical vocabulary and concept knowledge to new reading tasks, selecting and using texts for their pertinence to the task and the accuracy of their information


Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative

and persuasive texts containing key information

and supporting details for a widening range of

audiences, demonstrating increasing control

over text structures and language features

(ACELY1694)

l using research from print and digital resources to gather ideas, integrating information from a range of sources; selecting text structure and planning how to group ideas into paragraphs to sequence content, and choosing vocabulary to suit topic and communication purpose

l using appropriate simple, compound and complex sentences to express and combine ideas

l using grammatical features including different types of verb groups/phrases, noun groups/phrases, adverb groups/phrases and prepositional phrases for effective descriptions as related to purpose and context (for example, development of a character’s actions or a description in a report)

Reread and edit for meaning by adding, deleting

or moving words or word groups to improve

content and structure (ACELY1695)

l revising written texts: editing for grammatical and spelling accuracy and clarity of the text, to improve the connection between ideas and the overall flow of the piece

Write using clearlyformed joined letters, and

develop increased fluency and automaticity

(ACELY1696)

l using handwriting fluency with speed for a wide range of tasks





By the end of Year 4, students understand that texts have different text structures depending on purpose and audience. They

explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used to engage the interest of audiences.

They describe literal and implied meaning connecting ideas in different texts. They express preferences for particular texts,

and respond to others’ viewpoints. They listen for key points in discussions.


Students use language features to create coherence and add detail to their texts. They understand how to express an opinion

based on information in a text. They create texts that show understanding of how images and detail can be used to extend

key ideas.

Students create structured texts to explain ideas for different audiences. They make presentations and contribute actively to

class and group discussions, varying language according to context. They demonstrate understanding of grammar, select

vocabulary from a range of resources and use accurate spelling and punctuation, editing their work to improve meaning.

Use a range of software including word

processing programs to construct, edit and

publish written text, and select, edit and place

visual, print and audio elements (ACELY1697)

l identifying and selecting appropriate software programs for constructing text



Year 5





In Years 5 and 6, students communicate with peers and teachers from other classes and schools, community members,

and individuals and groups, in a range of facetoface and online/virtual environments.

Students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment. They listen to, read, view, interpret and evaluate spoken, written and

multimodal texts in which the primary purpose is aesthetic, as well as texts designed to inform and persuade. These include

various types of media texts including newspapers, film and digital texts, junior and early adolescent novels, poetry, non

fiction, and dramatic performances.




Literary texts that support and extend students in Years 5 and 6 as independent readers describe complex sequences, a

range of nonstereotypical characters and elaborated events including flashbacks and shifts in time. These texts explore

themes of interpersonal relationships and ethical dilemmas within realworld and fantasy settings. Informative texts supply

technical and content information about a wide range of topics of interest as well as topics being studied in other areas of the

curriculum. Text structures include chapters, headings and subheadings, tables of contents, indexes and glossaries.

Language features include complex sentences, unfamiliar technical vocabulary, figurative language, and information

presented in various types of graphics.


performances, reports, reviews, explanations and discussions.

Language


Understand that the pronunciation,

spelling and meanings of words have

histories and change over time

(ACELA1500)

l recognising that a knowledge of word origins is not only interesting in its own right, but that it extends students’ knowledge of vocabulary and spelling

l exploring examples of words in which pronunciation, writing and meaning has changed over time, including words from a range of cultures


Understand that patterns of language

interaction vary across social contexts

and types of texts and that they help to

signal social roles and relationships

(ACELA1501)

l identifying ways in which cultures differ in making and responding to common requests, for example periods of silence, degrees of formality




Understand how to move beyond

making bare assertions and take

account of differing perspectives and

points of view (ACELA1502)

l recognising that a bare assertion (for example 'It's the best film this year') often needs to be tempered by: using the 'impersonal it' to distance oneself (for example 'It could be that it is the best film this year'); recruiting anonymous support (for example 'It is generally agreed that it is the best film this year.'); indicating a general source of the opinion (for example 'Most critics agree that it is the best film this year.'); specifying the source of the opinion (for example 'David and Margaret both agree that it is the best film this year') and reflecting on the effect of these different choices


Understand how texts vary in purpose,

structure and topic as well as the

degree of formality (ACELA1504)

l becoming familiar with the typical stages and language features of such text types as: narrative, procedure, exposition, explanation, discussion and informative text and how they can be composed and presented in written, digital and multimedia forms

Understand that the starting point of a

sentence gives prominence to the

message in the text and allows for

prediction of how the text will unfold

(ACELA1505)

l observing how writers use the beginning of a sentence to signal to the reader how the text is developing (for example 'Snakes are reptiles. They have scales and no legs. Many snakes are poisonous. However, in Australia they are protected')

Understand how the grammatical

category of possessives is signalled

through apostrophes and how to use

apostrophes with common and proper

nouns (ACELA1506)

l learning that in Standard Australian English regular plural nouns ending in ‘s’ form the possessive by adding just the apostrophe (for example ‘my parents' car’)

l learning that in Standard Australian English for proper nouns a variant form without the second ‘s’ is sometimes found (for example ‘James’s house’ or ‘James’ house’)

Investigate how the organisation of texts

into chapters, headings, subheadings,

home pages and sub pages for online

texts and according to chronology or

topic can be used to predict content and

assist navigation (ACELA1797)


Understand the difference between

main and subordinate clauses and that

a complex sentence involves at least

one subordinate clause (ACELA1507)

l knowing that the function of complex sentences is to make connections between ideas, such as: to provide a reason (for example 'He jumped up because the bell rang.'); to state a purpose (for example 'She raced home in order to confront her brother.'); to express a condition (for example 'It will break if you push it.'); to make a concession (for example 'She went to work even though she was not feeling well.'); to link two ideas in terms of various time relations (for example 'Nero fiddled while Rome burned.')



Understand how noun groups/phrases

and adjective groups/phrases can be

expanded in a variety of ways to provide

a fuller description of the person, place,

thing or idea (ACELA1508)

l learning how to expand a description by combining a related set of nouns and adjectives – ‘Two old brown cattle dogs sat on the ruined front veranda of the deserted house’

l observing how descriptive details can be built up around a noun or an adjective, forming a group/phrase (for example, ‘this very smelly cleaning cloth in the sink’ is a noun group/phrase and ‘as pretty as the flowers in May’ is an adjective group/phrase)

Explain sequences of images in print

texts and compare these to the ways

hyperlinked digital texts are organised,

explaining their effect on viewers’

interpretations (ACELA1511)

l interpreting narrative texts told as wordless picture books

l identifying and comparing sequences of images revealed through different hyperlink choices

Understand the use of vocabulary to

express greater precision of meaning,

and know that words can have different

meanings in different contexts

(ACELA1512)

l moving from general, ‘allpurpose’ words, for example ‘cut’ to more specific words, for example ‘slice’, ‘dice’, ‘fillet’, ‘segment’

Understand how to use banks of known

words, as well as word origins, prefixes

and suffixes, to learn and spell new

words (ACELA1513)

l learning that many complex words were originally hyphenated but have become ‘prefixed’ as in ‘uncommon’, ‘renew’ ‘email’ and ‘refine’

l talking about how suffixes change over time and new forms are invented to reflect changing attitudes to gender, for example ‘policewoman’, ‘salesperson’; ‘air hostess’/‘steward’ or ‘flight attendant’

Recognise uncommon plurals, for

example ‘foci’ (ACELA1514)

l using knowledge of word origins and roots and related words to interpret and spell unfamiliar words, and learning about how these roots impact on plurals

Literature


Identify aspects of literary texts that

convey details or information about

particular social, cultural and historical

contexts (ACELT1608)

l describing how aspects of literature, for example visuals, symbolic elements, dialogue and character descriptions, can convey information about cultural elements, such as beliefs, traditions and customs

l identifying variability within cultural contexts in literary texts, recognising the diversity of people’s experiences within a cultural group such as differences in setting and lifestyle between urban and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples




Present a point of view about particular

literary texts using appropriate

metalanguage, and reflecting on the

viewpoints of others (ACELT1609)

l posing and discussing questions, such as ‘Should this character have behaved as they did?’, and beginning to make balanced judgments about the dilemmas characters face and relative merit and harm

Use metalanguage to describe the

effects of ideas, text structures and

language features on particular

audiences (ACELT1795)

l orally, in writing or using digital media, giving a considered interpretation and opinion about a literary text, recognising that a student’s view may not be shared by others and that others have equal claims to divergent views


Recognise that ideas in literary texts can

be conveyed from different viewpoints,

which can lead to different kinds of

interpretations and responses

(ACELT1610)

l identifying the narrative voice (the person or entity through whom the audience experiences the story) in a literary work, discussing the impact of first person narration on empathy and engagement

l examining texts written from different narrative points of view and discussing what information the audience can access, how this impacts on the audience’s sympathies, and why an author might choose a particular narrative point of view

l examining the narrative voice in texts from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditions, which include perspectives of animals and spirits, about how we should care for the Earth, for example reflecting on how this affects significance, interpretation and response

Understand, interpret and experiment

with sound devices and imagery,

including simile, metaphor and

personification, in narratives, shape

poetry, songs, anthems and odes

(ACELT1611)

l discussing how figurative language including simile and metaphor can make use of a comparison between different things, for example ‘My love is like a red, red rose’; ‘Tyger!, Tyger! burning bright, In the forests of the night’; and how by appealing to the imagination, it provides new ways of looking at the world

l investigating the qualities of contemporary protest songs, for example those about Indigenous peoples and those about the environment


Create literary texts using realistic and

fantasy settings and characters that

draw on the worlds represented in texts

students have experienced

(ACELT1612)

l using texts with computerbased graphics, animation and 2D qualities, consider how and why particular traits for a character have been chosen



Create literary texts that experiment with

structures, ideas and stylistic features of

selected authors (ACELT1798)

l drawing upon fiction elements in a range of model texts for example main idea, characterisation, setting (time and place), narrative point of view; and devices, for example figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification), as well as nonverbal conventions in digital and screen texts in order to experiment with new, creative ways of communicating ideas, experiences and stories in literary texts

Literacy


Show how ideas and points of view in

texts are conveyed through the use of

vocabulary, including idiomatic

expressions, objective and subjective

language, and that these can change

according to context (ACELY1698)

l identifying the narrative voice (the person or entity through whom the audience experiences the story) in a literary work, discussing the impact of first person narration on empathy and engagement


Clarify understanding of content as it

unfolds in formal and informal

situations, connecting ideas to students’

own experiences and present and justify

a point of view (ACELY1699)

l asking specific questions to clarify a speaker’s meaning, making constructive comments that keep conversation moving, reviewing ideas expressed and conveying tentative conclusions

Use interaction skills, for example

paraphrasing, questioning and

interpreting nonverbal cues and choose

vocabulary and vocal effects appropriate

for different audiences and purposes

(ACELY1796)

l participating in pair, group, class and school speaking and listening situations, including informal conversations, discussions and presentations

l using effective strategies for dialogue and discussion including speaking clearly and to the point, pausing in appropriate places for others to respond, asking pertinent questions and linking students’ own responses to the contributions of others

l choosing vocabulary and sentence structures for particular purposes including formal and informal contexts, to report and explain new concepts and topics, to offer a point of view and to persuade others

l experimenting with voice effects in formal presentations such as tone, volume, pitch and pace, recognising the effects these have on audience understanding

Plan, rehearse and deliver

presentations for defined audiences

and purposes incorporating accurate

and sequenced content and multimodal

elements (ACELY1700)

l planning a report on a topic, sequencing ideas logically and providing supporting detail, including graphics, sound and visuals to enhance audience engagement and understanding




Identify and explain characteristic text

structures and language features used

in imaginative, informative and

persuasive texts to meet the purpose of

the text (ACELY1701)

l explaining how the features of a text advocating community action, for example action on a local area preservation issue, are used to meet the purpose of the text

Navigate and read texts for specific

purposes applying appropriate text

processing strategies, for example

predicting and confirming, monitoring

meaning, skimming and scanning

(ACELY1702)

l bringing subject and technical vocabulary and concept knowledge to new reading tasks

l selecting and using texts for their pertinence to the task and the accuracy of their information

l using word identification, selfmonitoring and selfcorrecting strategies to access material on less familiar topics, skimming and scanning to check the pertinence of particular information to students’ topic and task

l reading a wide range of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts for pleasure and to find and use information

Use comprehension strategies to

analyse information, integrating and

linking ideas from a variety of print and

digital sources (ACELY1703)

l using research skills including identifying research purpose, locating texts, gathering and organising information, evaluating its relative value, and the accuracy and currency of print and digital sources and summarising information from several sources



informative and persuasive print and

multimodal texts, choosing text

structures, language features, images

and sound appropriate to purpose and

audience (ACELY1704)

l using research from print and digital resources to gather and organise information for writing

l selecting an appropriate text structure for the writing purpose and sequencing content according to that text structure, introducing the topic, and grouping related information in wellsequenced paragraphs with a concluding statement

l using vocabulary, including technical vocabulary, appropriate to purpose and context

l using paragraphs to present and sequence a text

l using appropriate grammatical features, including more complex sentences and relevant verb tense, pronoun reference, adverb and noun groups/phrases for effective descriptions

Reread and edit student's own and

others’ work using agreed criteria for text

structures and language features

(ACELY1705)

l editing for flow and sense, organisation of ideas and choice of language, revising and trying new approaches if an element is not having the desired impact

Develop a handwriting style that is

becoming legible, fluent and automatic

(ACELY1706)

l using handwriting with increasing fluency and legibility appropriate to a wide range of writing purposes





By the end of Year 5, students explain how text structures assist in understanding the text. They understand how language

features, images and vocabulary influence interpretations of characters, settings and events.

They analyse and explain literal and implied information from a variety of texts. They describe how events, characters and

settings in texts are depicted and explain their own responses to them. They listen and ask questions to clarify content.


Students use language features to show how ideas can be extended. They develop and explain a point of view about a text,

selecting information, ideas and images from a range of resources.

Students create a variety of sequenced texts for different purposes and audiences. They make presentations and contribute

actively to class and group discussions, taking into account other perspectives. When writing, they demonstrate

understanding of grammar, select specific vocabulary and use accurate spelling and punctuation, editing their work to

provide structure and meaning.

Use a range of software including word

processing programs with fluency to

construct, edit and publish written text,

and select, edit and place visual, print

and audio elements (ACELY1707)

l writing letters in print and by email, composing with increasing fluency, accuracy and legibility and demonstrating understanding of what the audience may want to hear



Year 6





In Years 5 and 6, students communicate with peers and teachers from other classes and schools, community members,

and individuals and groups, in a range of facetoface and online/virtual environments.

Students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment. They listen to, read, view, interpret and evaluate spoken, written and

multimodal texts in which the primary purpose is aesthetic, as well as texts designed to inform and persuade. These include

various types of media texts including newspapers, film and digital texts, junior and early adolescent novels, poetry, non

fiction and dramatic performances. Students develop their understanding of how texts, including media texts, are influenced

by context, purpose and audience.




Literary texts that support and extend students in Years 5 and 6 as independent readers describe complex sequences, a

range of nonstereotypical characters and elaborated events including flashbacks and shifts in time. These texts explore

themes of interpersonal relationships and ethical dilemmas within realworld and fantasy settings. Informative texts supply

technical and content information about a wide range of topics of interest as well as topics being studied in other areas of the

curriculum. Text structures include chapters, headings and subheadings, tables of contents, indexes and glossaries.

Language features include complex sentences, unfamiliar technical vocabulary, figurative language, and information

presented in various types of graphics.

Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive types of texts such as narratives, procedures,

performances, reports, reviews, explanations and discussions.

Language


Understand that different social and

geographical dialects or accents are

used in Australia in addition to Standard

Australian English (ACELA1515)

l recognising that there are more than 150 Aboriginal languages and two Torres Strait Islander languages and that they relate to geographic areas in Australia

l recognising that all languages and dialects are of equal value, although we use different ones in different contexts, for example the use of Standard Australian English, Aboriginal English and forms of Creole used by some Torres Strait Islander groups and some of Australia’s near neighbours


Understand that strategies for interaction

become more complex and demanding

as levels of formality and social distance

increase (ACELA1516)

l identify and appreciate differences in language used in diverse family settings




Understand the uses of objective and

subjective language and bias

(ACELA1517)

l understanding when it is appropriate to share feelings and opinions (for example in a personal recount) and when it is appropriate to remain more objective (for example in a factual recount)

l differentiating between reporting the facts (for example in a news story) and providing a commentary (for example in an editorial)


Understand how authors often innovate

on text structures and play with language

features to achieve particular aesthetic,

humorous and persuasive purposes and

effects (ACELA1518)

l exploring a range of everyday, community, literary and informative texts discussing elements of text structure and language features and comparing the overall structure and effect of authors’ choices in two or more texts

l examining different works by an author who specialises in humour or pathos to identify strategies such as exaggeration and character embarrassment to amuse and to offer insights into characters’ feelings, so building empathy with their points of view and concern for their welfare

Understand that cohesive links can be

made in texts by omitting or replacing

words (ACELA1520)

l noting how writers often substitute a general word for a more specific word already mentioned, thus creating a cohesive link between the words (for example, ‘Look at those apples. Can I take these big ones?’, where ‘ones’ substitutes for ‘apples’)

l noting how writers often substitute a general word for a more specific word already mentioned, thus creating a cohesive link between the words (for example 'Look at those apples. Can I have one?')

l recognising how cohesion can be developed through repeating key words or by using synonyms or antonyms

l observing how relationships between concepts can be represented visually through similarity, contrast, juxtaposition, repetition, classsubclass diagrams, partwhole diagrams, causeandeffect figures, visual continuities and discontinuities

Understand the uses of commas to

separate clauses (ACELA1521)

l identifying different uses of commas in texts


Investigate how complex sentences can

be used in a variety of ways to elaborate,

extend and explain ideas (ACELA1522)

l knowing that a complex sentence typically consists of a main clause and a subordinate clause

l knowing that the function of complex sentences is to make connections between ideas, such as: to provide a reason (for example 'He jumped up because the bell rang'); to state a purpose (for example 'She raced home in order to confront her brother'); to express a condition (for example 'It will break if you push it'); to make a concession (for example 'She went to work even though she was not feeling well'); to link two ideas in terms of various time relations (for example 'Nero fiddled while Rome burned')



Understand how ideas can be expanded

and sharpened through careful choice of

verbs, elaborated tenses and a range of

adverb groups/phrases (ACELA1523)

l knowing that verbs often represent actions and that the choice of more expressive verbs makes an action more vivid (for example 'She ate her lunch' compared to 'She gobbled up her lunch')

l knowing that adverb groups/phrases and prepositional phrases can provide important details about a happening(for example, ‘At nine o'clock the buzzer rang loudly throughout the school’) or state (for example, ‘The tiger is a member of the cat family’)

l knowing the difference between the simple present tense (for example 'Pandas eat bamboo.') and the simple past tense (for example 'She replied.')

l knowing that the simple present tense is typically used to talk about either present states (for example, ‘He lives in Darwin’) or actions that happen regularly in the present (for example, ‘He watches television every night’) or that represent ‘timeless’ happenings, as in information reports (for example, ‘Bears hibernate in winter’)

l knowing that there are various ways in English to refer to future time (for example 'She will call you tomorrow'; 'I am going to the movies tomorrow'; 'Tomorrow I leave for Hobart')

Identify and explain how analytical

images like figures, tables, diagrams,

maps and graphs contribute to our

understanding of verbal information in

factual and persuasive texts

(ACELA1524)

l observing how sequential events can be represented visually by a series of images, including comic strips, timelines, photo stories, procedure diagrams and flowcharts, lifecycle diagrams, and the flow of images in picture books

l observing how concepts, information and relationships can be represented visually through such images as tables, maps, graphs, diagrams, and icons

Investigate how vocabulary choices,

including evaluative language can

express shades of meaning, feeling and

opinion (ACELA1525)

l identifying (for example from reviews) the ways in which evaluative language is used to assess the qualities of the various aspects of the work in question

Understand how to use banks of known

words, word origins, base words,

suffixes and prefixes, morphemes,

spelling patterns and generalisations to

learn and spell new words, for example

technical words and words adopted from

other languages (ACELA1526)

l adopting a range of spelling strategies to recall and attempt to spell new words

l using a dictionary to correct students’ own spelling

Literature




Make connections between students’

own experiences and those of characters

and events represented in texts drawn

from different historical, social and

cultural contexts (ACELT1613)

l recognising the influence our different historical, social and cultural experiences may have on the meaning we make from the text and the attitudes we may develop towards characters, actions and events


Analyse and evaluate similarities and

differences in texts on similar topics,

themes or plots (ACELT1614)

l exploring texts on a similar topic by authors with very different styles, for example comparing fantasy quest novels or realistic novels on a specific theme, identifying differences in the use of narrator, narrative structure and voice and language style and register

Identify and explain how choices in

language, for example modality,

emphasis, repetition and metaphor,

influence personal response to different

texts (ACELT1615)

l noting how degrees of possibility are opened up through the use of modal verbs (for example, ‘It may be a solution’ as compared to ‘It could be a solution’), as well as through other resources such as adverbs (for example, ‘It’s possibly/probably/certainly a solution’), adjectives (for example, ‘It’s a possible/probable/certain solution’); and nouns (for example, ‘It’s a possibility/probability’)


Identify, describe, and discuss

similarities and differences between

texts, including those by the same author

or illustrator, and evaluate characteristics

that define an author’s individual style

(ACELT1616)

l exploring two or more texts by the same author, drawing out the similarities, for example subject or theme, characterisation, text structure, plot development, tone, vocabulary, sense of voice, narrative point of view, favoured grammatical structures and visual techniques in sophisticated picture books

Identify the relationship between words,

sounds, imagery and language patterns

in narratives and poetry such as ballads,

limericks and free verse (ACELT1617)

l identifying how language choice and imagery build emotional connection and engagement with the story or theme

l describing how a character’s experience expressed through a verse novel impacts on students personally, how the author controls the revelation of the experiences and how the verse story builds meaning to its climax when we understand the whole


Create literary texts that adapt or combine

aspects of texts students have

experienced in innovative ways

(ACELT1618)

l creating narratives in written, spoken or multimodal/digital format for more than one specified audience, requiring adaptation of narrative elements and language features

l planning and creating texts that entertain, inform, inspire and/or emotionally engage familiar and lessfamiliar audiences



Experiment with text structures and

language features and their effects in

creating literary texts, for example, using

imagery, sentence variation, metaphor

and word choice (ACELT1800)

l selecting and using sensory language to convey a vivid picture of places, feelings and events in a semistructured verse form

Literacy


Compare texts including media texts that

represent ideas and events in different

ways, explaining the effects of the

different approaches (ACELY1708)

l identifying and exploring news reports of the same event, and discuss the language choices and point of view of the writers

l using display advertising as a topic vehicle for close analysis of the ways images and words combine for deliberate effect including examples from the countries of Asia (for example comparing Hollywood film posters with Indian Bollywood film posters)


Participate in and contribute to

discussions, clarifying and interrogating

ideas, developing and supporting

arguments, sharing and evaluating

information, experiences and opinions

(ACELY1709)

l using strategies, for example pausing, questioning, rephrasing, repeating, summarising, reviewing and asking clarifying questions

l exploring personal reasons for acceptance or rejection of opinions offered and linking the reasons to the way our cultural experiences can affect our responses

l recognising that closed questions ask for precise responses while open questions prompt a speaker to provide more information

Use interaction skills, varying

conventions of spoken interactions such

as voice volume, tone, pitch and pace,

according to group size, formality of

interaction and needs and expertise of

the audience (ACELY1816)

l participating in pair, group, class, school and community speaking and listening situations, including informal conversations, discussions, debates and presentations

l using effective strategies for dialogue and discussion in range of familiar and new contexts, including speaking clearly and coherently and at appropriate length, acknowledging and extending the contributions of others, asking pertinent questions and answering others’ questions

l choosing vocabulary and spoken text and sentence structures for particular purposes and audiences, adapting language choices to meet the perceived audience needs, such as recounting an excursion to a younger class or welcoming a visitor to a school function

l experimenting with voice effects for different audiences and purposes, such as tone, volume, pitch and pace, recognising the effects these have on audience understanding and engagement

Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations,

selecting and sequencing appropriate

content and multimodal elements for

defined audiences and purposes,

making appropriate choices for modality

and emphasis (ACELY1710)

l using technologies to collaboratively prepare a humorous, dynamic group view on a debatable topic, such as ‘Kids should be allowed to read and view what they like,’ to be presented to teachers and parents




Analyse how text structures and

language features work together to meet

the purpose of a text (ACELY1711)

l comparing the structures and features of different texts, including print and digital sources on similar topics, and evaluating which features best aid navigation and clear communication about the topic

Select, navigate and read texts for a

range of purposes, applying appropriate

text processing strategies and

interpreting structural features, for

example table of contents, glossary,

chapters, headings and subheadings

(ACELY1712)

l bringing subject and technical vocabulary and concept knowledge to new reading tasks, selecting, evaluating and using texts for their pertinence to the task and the accuracy of their information

l using word identification, selfmonitoring and selfcorrecting strategies

l using research skills including identifying research purpose, locating texts, gathering and organising information, evaluating and using information

l identifying and using texts for a wide range of purposes, selecting texts by favourite authors and trying new ones

Use comprehension strategies to

interpret and analyse information and

ideas, comparing content from a variety

of textual sources including media and

digital texts (ACELY1713)

l making connections between the text and students’ own experience or other texts


l finding specific literal information

l using prior knowledge and textual information to make inferences and predictions

l asking and answering questions

l finding the main idea of a text

l summarising a text or part of a text

Analyse strategies authors use to

influence readers (ACELY1801)

l identify how authors use language to position the reader and give reasons



informative and persuasive texts,

choosing and experimenting with text

structures, language features, images

and digital resources appropriate to

purpose and audience (ACELY1714)

l creating informative texts for two different audiences, such as a visiting academic and a Year 3 class, that explore an aspect of biodiversity

l using rhetorical devices, images, surprise techniques and juxtaposition of people and ideas and modal verbs and modal auxiliaries to enhance the persuasive nature of a text, recognising and exploiting audience susceptibilities

Reread and edit students’ own and

others’ work using agreed criteria and

explaining editing choices (ACELY1715)

l editing for coherence, sequence, effective choice of vocabulary, opening devices, dialogue and description, humour and pathos, as appropriate to the task and audience





By the end of Year 6, students understand how the use of text structures can achieve particular effects. They analyse and

explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used by different authors to represent ideas, characters and

events.

Students compare and analyse information in different texts, explaining literal and implied meaning. They select and use

evidence from a text to explain their response to it. They listen to discussions, clarifying content and challenging others’

ideas.


Students understand how language features and language patterns can be used for emphasis. They show how specific

details can be used to support a point of view. They explain how their choices of language features and images are used.

Students create detailed texts elaborating on key ideas for a range of purposes and audiences. They make presentations

and contribute actively to class and group discussions, using a variety of strategies for effect. They demonstrate

understanding of grammar, make considered choices from an expanding vocabulary, use accurate spelling and punctuation

for clarity and make and explain editorial choices.

Develop a handwriting style that is

legible, fluent and automatic and varies

according to audience and purpose

(ACELY1716)

l using handwriting efficiently as a tool for a wide range of formal and informal text creation tasks

Use a range of software, including word

processing programs, learning new

functions as required to create texts

(ACELY1717)

l selecting and combining software functions as needed to create texts



Year 7





In Years 7 and 8, students communicate with peers, teachers, individuals, groups and community members in a range of

facetoface and online/virtual environments. They experience learning in both familiar and unfamiliar contexts that relate to

the school curriculum, local community, regional and global contexts.

Students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment. They listen to, read, view, interpret, evaluate and perform a range of

spoken, written and multimodal texts in which the primary purpose is aesthetic, as well as texts designed to inform and

persuade. These include various types of media texts including newspapers, magazines and digital texts, early adolescent

novels, nonfiction, poetry and dramatic performances. Students develop their understanding of how texts, including media

texts, are influenced by context, purpose and audience.




Literary texts that support and extend students in Years 7 and 8 as independent readers are drawn from a range of realistic,

fantasy, speculative fiction and historical genres and involve some challenging and unpredictable plot sequences and a

range of nonstereotypical characters. These texts explore themes of interpersonal relationships and ethical dilemmas within

realworld and fictional settings and represent a variety of perspectives. Informative texts present technical and content

information from various sources about specialised topics. Text structures are more complex including chapters, headings

and subheadings, tables of contents, indexes and glossaries. Language features include successive complex sentences

with embedded clauses, unfamiliar technical vocabulary, figurative and rhetorical language, and information supported by

various types of graphics presented in visual form.

Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive types of texts, for example narratives, procedures,

performances, reports and discussions, and are beginning to create literary analyses and transformations of texts.

Language


Understand the way language evolves to reflect a

changing world, particularly in response to the use of

new technology for presenting texts and communicating

(ACELA1528)

l exploring languages and dialects through building webcam relationships with schools across Australia and Asia

l investigating changes in word use and meaning over time and some of the reasons for these changes, for example the influence on spelling and vocabulary of new forms of communication like texting, emoticons and email





Understand how accents, styles of speech and idioms

express and create personal and social identities

(ACELA1529)

l building a database of local idioms and their meanings, accents and styles of speech for different contexts, exploring the possibilities of these choices in drama and role play, and discussing their connection with personal and social identities

l developing dialogues authentic to characters in comics, cartoons and animations

Understand how language is used to evaluate texts and

how evaluations about a text can be substantiated by

reference to the text and other sources (ACELA1782)

l defending points of view in reading circle discussions

l responding to points of view by developing and elaborating on others’ responses

l building a knowledge base about words of evaluation, including words to express emotional responses to texts, judgment of characters and their actions, and appreciation of the aesthetic qualities of text


Understand and explain how the text structures and

language features of texts become more complex in

informative and persuasive texts and identify underlying

structures such as taxonomies, cause and effect, and

extended metaphors (ACELA1531)

l learning about the structure of the book or film review and how it moves from context description to text summary and then to a text judgment

Understand that the coherence of more complex texts

relies on devices that signal text structure and guide

readers, for example overviews, initial and concluding

paragraphs and topic sentences, indexes or site maps

or breadcrumb trails for online texts (ACELA1763)

l analysing the structure of media texts such as television news items and broadcasts and various types of newspaper and magazine articles

l writing structured paragraphs for use in a range of academic settings such as paragraph responses, reports and presentations

Understand the use of punctuation to support meaning in

complex sentences with prepositional phrases and

embedded clauses (ACELA1532)

l discussing how qualifying statements add meaning to opinions and views in spoken texts


Recognise and understand that subordinate clauses

embedded within noun groups/phrases are a common

feature of written sentence structures and increase the

density of information (ACELA1534)

l identifying and experimenting with a range of clause types and discussing the effect of these in the expression and development of ideas

Understand how modality is achieved through

discriminating choices in modal verbs, adverbs,

adjectives and nouns (ACELA1536)

l observing and discussing how a sense of certainty, probability and obligation is created in texts



Analyse how point of view is generated in visual texts by

means of choices, for example gaze, angle and social

distance (ACELA1764)

l comparing choices for point of view in animations, advertisements and other persuasive texts

l comparing how different advertisements use visual elements to advertise the same product

l experimenting with digital storytelling conventions to create personal reflections on shared experiences

Investigate vocabulary typical of extended and more

academic texts and the role of abstract nouns,

classification, description and generalisation in building

specialised knowledge through language (ACELA1537)

Understand how to use spelling rules and word origins,

for example Greek and Latin roots, base words, suffixes,

prefixes, spelling patterns and generalisations to learn

new words and how to spell them (ACELA1539)

Literature


Identify and explore ideas and viewpoints about events,

issues and characters represented in texts drawn from

different historical, social and cultural contexts

(ACELT1619)

l building knowledge, understanding and skills in relation to the history, culture, and literary heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

l identifying and explaining differences between points of view in texts, for example contrasting the city and the bush or different perspectives based on culture, gender or age


Reflect on ideas and opinions about characters, settings

and events in literary texts, identifying areas of agreement

and difference with others and justifying a point of view

(ACELT1620)

l exploring concepts about the criteria for heroism and testing these criteria in a range of texts, including more complex ones where the hero may be flawed

l establishing forums for discussing the relative merits of fiction and film texts

l comparing personal viewpoints on texts and justifying responses in actual and virtual discussions

Compare the ways that language and images are used

to create character, and to influence emotions and

opinions in different types of texts (ACELT1621)

l identifying stereotypes, prejudice and oversimplifications in texts

l exploring ethical issues in literary texts drawing on a range of examples from the texts to illustrate and substantiate the views expressed



Discuss aspects of texts, for example their aesthetic and

social value, using relevant and appropriate

metalanguage (ACELT1803)


Recognise and analyse the ways that characterisation,

events and settings are combined in narratives, and

discuss the purposes and appeal of different

approaches (ACELT1622)

l analysing and explaining the structure and features of short stories discussing the purposes and appeal of different authorial choices for structure and language

l exploring traditional stories from Asia and discussing their engaging features, for example use of the oral mode, visual elements, verse, use of puppets to convey the narrative

l analysing writers’ depictions of challenges in texts, for example those faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

l discussing a text’s intended audience, whether the text is typical of its type and whether it has fulfilled its purpose

Understand, interpret and discuss how language is

compressed to produce a dramatic effect in film or

drama, and to create layers of meaning in poetry, for

example haiku, tankas, couplets, free verse and verse

novels (ACELT1623)

l experiencing the sound and rhythm of poetry and using metalanguage, for example ‘refrain’, ‘chant’ to discuss the layers of meaning that are created


Create literary texts that adapt stylistic features

encountered in other texts, for example, narrative

viewpoint, structure of stanzas, contrast and juxtaposition

(ACELT1625)

l using aspects of texts in imaginative recreations such as resituating a character from a text in a new situation

l imagining a character’s life events (for example misadventures organised retrospectively to be presented as a series of flashbacks in scripted monologue supported by single images), making a sequel or prequel or rewriting an ending

l creating chapters for an autobiography, short story or diary

Experiment with text structures and language features

and their effects in creating literary texts, for example,

using rhythm, sound effects, monologue, layout,

navigation and colour (ACELT1805)

l experimenting with different narrative structures such as the epistolary form, flashback, multiple perspectives

l transforming familiar print narratives into short video or film narratives, drawing on knowledge of the type of text and possible adaptations necessary to a new mode

l drawing on literature and life experiences to create a poem, for example ballad, series of haiku

Literacy




Analyse and explain the effect of technological

innovations on texts, particularly media texts

(ACELY1765)

l investigating the influence on written language of communicative technologies like SMS, text, email and Twitter

l analysing the impact of interactive elements of digital magazines


Identify and discuss main ideas, concepts and points of

view in spoken texts to evaluate qualities, for example the

strength of an argument or the lyrical power of a poetic

rendition (ACELY1719)

l identifying, discussing and interpreting ideas and concepts that other individuals and groups value

l identifying key evidence supporting an argument in a discussion between two speakers

Use interaction skills when discussing and presenting

ideas and information, selecting body language, voice

qualities and other elements, (for example music and

sound) to add interest and meaning (ACELY1804)


l using effective strategies for dialogue and discussion in range of formal and informal contexts, including speaking clearly and coherently and at appropriate length, clarifying and rephrasing comments of others

l choosing vocabulary and spoken text and sentence structures for particular purposes and audiences, adapting language choices to meet the perceived audience needs, such as debating a topic with a team from another school, introducing a speaker at a school function

l selecting voice effects for different audiences and purposes, such as tone, volume, pitch and pace, recognising the effects these have on audience understanding and engagement

Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, selecting and

sequencing appropriate content and multimodal

elements to promote a point of view or enable a new way

of seeing (ACELY1720)

l preparing a presentation combining print, visual and audio elements to explore and interpret ideas, drawing on knowledge and research about perspectives different from students’ own


Analyse and explain the ways text structures and

language features shape meaning and vary according to

audience and purpose (ACELY1721)

l identifying the purpose and possible audience for a text

l explaining the relationship between text features and structures and audience and purpose, such as identifying which group would be the most likely target for the information in an advertisement and justifying why on the basis of textual features

Use prior knowledge and text processing strategies to

interpret a range of types of texts (ACELY1722)

l identifying cause and effect in explanations and how these are used to convince an audience of a course of action

l inferring the tone and emotional intent of a character in dialogue in a narrative





By the end of Year 7, students understand how text structures can influence the complexity of a text and are dependent on

audience, purpose and context. They demonstrate understanding of how the choice of language features, images and

vocabulary affects meaning.

Students explain issues and ideas from a variety of sources, analysing supporting evidence and implied meaning. They

select specific details from texts to develop their own response, recognising that texts reflect different viewpoints. They listen

for and explain different perspectives in texts.


Use comprehension strategies to interpret, analyse and

synthesise ideas and information, critiquing ideas and

issues from a variety of textual sources (ACELY1723)

Compare the text structures and language features of

multimodal texts, explaining how they combine to

influence audiences (ACELY1724)


Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and

persuasive texts, selecting aspects of subject matter and

particular language, visual, and audio features to convey

information and ideas (ACELY1725)

l compiling a portfolio of texts in a range of modes related to a particular concept, purpose or audience, for example a class anthology of poems or stories

l using appropriate textual conventions, create scripts for interviews, presentations, advertisements and radio segments

l writing and delivering presentations with specific rhetorical devices to engage an audience

Edit for meaning by removing repetition, refining ideas,

reordering sentences and adding or substituting words

for impact (ACELY1726)

l using collaborative technologies to jointly construct and edit texts

Consolidate a personal handwriting style that is legible,

fluent and automatic and supports writing for extended

periods (ACELY1727)

Use a range of software, including word processing

programs, to confidently create, edit and publish written

and multimodal texts (ACELY1728)

l understanding conventions associated with particular kinds of software and using them appropriately, for example synthesising information and ideas in dot points and sequencing information in presentations or timing scenes in animation



Students understand how the selection of a variety of language features can influence an audience. They understand how to

draw on personal knowledge, textual analysis and other sources to express or challenge a point of view. They create texts

showing how language features and images from other texts can be combined for effect.

Students create structured and coherent texts for a range of purposes and audiences. They make presentations and

contribute actively to class and group discussions, using language features to engage the audience. When creating and

editing texts they demonstrate understanding of grammar, use a variety of more specialised vocabulary, accurate spelling

and punctuation.



Year 8





In Years 7 and 8, students interact with peers, teachers, individuals, groups and community members in a range of faceto

face and online/virtual environments. They experience learning in both familiar and unfamiliar contexts that relate to the

school curriculum, local community, regional and global contexts.

Students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment. They listen to, read, view, interpret, evaluate and perform a range of

spoken, written and multimodal texts in which the primary purpose is aesthetic, as well as texts designed to inform and

persuade. These include various types of media texts including newspapers, magazines and digital texts, early adolescent

novels, nonfiction, poetry and dramatic performances. Students develop their understanding of how texts, including media

texts, are influenced by context, purpose and audience.




Literary texts that support and extend students in Years 7 and 8 as independent readers are drawn from a range of realistic,

fantasy, speculative fiction and historical genres and involve some challenging and unpredictable plot sequences and a

range of nonstereotypical characters. These texts explore themes of interpersonal relationships and ethical dilemmas within

realworld and fictional settings and represent a variety of perspectives. Informative texts present technical and content

information from various sources about specialised topics. Text structures are more complex including chapters, headings

and subheadings, tables of contents, indexes and glossaries. Language features include successive complex sentences

with embedded clauses, unfamiliar technical vocabulary, figurative and rhetorical language, and information supported by

various types of graphics presented in visual form.

Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive types of texts, for example narratives, procedures,

performances, reports and discussions, and begin to create literary analyses and transformations of texts.

Language


Understand the influence and impact that the

English language has had on other languages

or dialects and how English has been

influenced in return (ACELA1540)

l exploring examples of Singlish (Singapore English) from a Singlish dictionary

l investigating borrowings from a range of languages into English, for example from French and Italian


Understand how conventions of speech adopted

by communities influence the identities of

people in those communities (ACELA1541)

l understanding that our use of language helps to create different identities, for example teenage groups and sportspeople have adopted particular words or ways of speaking




Understand how rhetorical devices are used to

persuade and how different layers of meaning

are developed through the use of metaphor,

irony and parody (ACELA1542)

l identifying and evaluating examples of how rhetorical devices reveal the dark or serious aspects of a topic in ways that cause laughter or amusement, for example by making a statement but implying/meaning the opposite (irony); exaggerating or overstating something (hyperbole); imitating or sending up something (parody), and making something appear less serious than it really is (understatement)


Analyse how the text structures and language

features of persuasive texts, including media

texts, vary according to the medium and mode of

communication (ACELA1543)

l discussing how particular perspectives of the same event are portrayed through the combination of images and words in various media texts

Understand how cohesion in texts is improved

by strengthening the internal structure of

paragraphs through the use of examples,

quotations and substantiation of claims

(ACELA1766)

l writing paragraphs of extended length that explain and substantiate a particular personal viewpoint

Understand how coherence is created in

complex texts through devices like lexical

cohesion, ellipsis, grammatical theme and text

connectives (ACELA1809)

l interpreting complex sentence structures through reading aloud literary texts such as sonnets or plays

l using cohesive devices when writing complex texts

Understand the use of punctuation conventions,

including colons, semicolons, dashes and

brackets in formal and informal texts

(ACELA1544)

l creating dialogue in drama showing interruptions, asides and pauses for effect


Analyse and examine how effective authors

control and use a variety of clause structures,

including clauses embedded within the

structure of a noun group/phrase or clause

(ACELA1545)

l evaluating how speechmakers influence audiences though specific language features such as the use of embedded clauses to add information

Understand the effect of nominalisation in the

writing of informative and persuasive texts

(ACELA1546)

l analysing formal and persuasive texts to identify and explain language choices such as nominalisation



Investigate how visual and multimodal texts

allude to or draw on other texts or images to

enhance and layer meaning (ACELA1548)

l comprehending a series of static images and combinations of language and images in a picture book, for example title, setting, characters, actions, as well as technical elements including position, size, colour, angle, framing, point of view

l analysing the relationship between visual elements and text in nonfiction texts such as documentaries, television news, online newspapers and digital magazines

Recognise that vocabulary choices contribute to

the specificity, abstraction and style of texts

(ACELA1547)

l experimenting with vocabulary choices in a range of written and spoken texts and assessing the different effects these choices generate

Understand how to apply learned knowledge

consistently in order to spell accurately and to

learn new words including nominalisations

(ACELA1549)

l understanding the different ways complex words are constructed and, when spelling these words, drawing on morphemic knowledge and knowledge of unusual letter combinations

Literature


Explore the ways that ideas and viewpoints in

literary texts drawn from different historical,

social and cultural contexts may reflect or

challenge the values of individuals and groups

(ACELT1626)

l investigating texts about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history from different sources and explaining differing viewpoints

l comparing attitudes and ideas in texts drawn from contexts that are different to students’ own

Explore the interconnectedness of Country and

Place, People, Identity and Culture in texts

including those by Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander authors (ACELT1806)

l identifying and describing the ways films suggest Country/Place and Identity through language features such as image, soundtrack and narrative control

l selecting aspects of a text related to Country and Place, People, Identity and Culture and adapt it for a new context, noting if changes in one aspect will result in changes in another

l explaining how individual interpretations of these aspects are influenced by students’ own knowledge, values and cultural assumptions


Share, reflect on, clarify and evaluate opinions

and arguments about aspects of literary texts

(ACELT1627)

l discussing the relative merits of literary texts and comparing and evaluating personal viewpoints on texts



Understand and explain how combinations of

words and images in texts are used to represent

particular groups in society, and how texts

position readers in relation to those groups

(ACELT1628)

l recognising the similarities and differences between types of texts (for example a complex picture book and a feature film) in order to understand how different combinations of words and images lead readers to interpret visual texts in particular ways, according to audience, purpose and context

Recognise and explain differing viewpoints

about the world, cultures, individual people and

concerns represented in texts (ACELT1807)

l analysing arguments for and against a particular issue in current community debates and justifying a personal stance


Recognise, explain and analyse the ways literary

texts draw on readers’ knowledge of other texts

and enable new understanding and

appreciation of aesthetic qualities (ACELT1629)

l exploring how some writers use terse and relatively simple language choices while others use more elaborate and complex syntax

l examining the language patterns, including sentence patterns, in a range of short texts and discussing the effect on readers’ interpretation of these choices

l writing or speaking about a literary text and outlining the impact of the text on a listener, viewer or reader, for example in a journal in which students reflect on their personal responses and on how language and structural features in the text contribute to its impact

l discussing, debating and assessing remakes of literary texts and their effectiveness and purpose

l discussing, debating and assessing book or film series, sequels, prequels, fan fiction sites, tiein publications or merchandise

Identify and evaluate devices that create tone, for

example humour, wordplay, innuendo and

parody in poetry, humorous prose, drama or

visual texts (ACELT1630)

l understanding that tone (serious, bitter, sincere, amused) indicates attitude to the subject and to readers/listeners, who can identify or judge tone through past experience and language clues in the text

Interpret and analyse language choices,

including sentence patterns, dialogue, imagery

and other language features, in short stories,

literary essays and plays (ACELT1767)

l select an aspect of a text such as a sentence pattern or an image or word and adapt it for a new context explaining how the change will affect meaning


Create literary texts that draw upon text

structures and language features of other texts

for particular purposes and effects (ACELT1632)

l creating literary interpretations of short stories based on understanding and analysis of their context, narrative structure (including the twist at the end), layers of meaning, themes, point of view and style

l combining visual and digital elements to create layers of meaning for serious and humorous purposes



Experiment with particular language features

drawn from different types of texts, including

combinations of language and visual choices to

create new texts (ACELT1768)

l creating and performing scripts for short plays that make use of the affordances of visual, verbal and additional modes (for example music) to create atmosphere, to deepen interpretation of verbal meaning and to enhance the drama of a performance

Literacy


Analyse and explain how language has evolved

over time and how technology and the media

have influenced language use and forms of

communication (ACELY1729)

l identifying and explaining how mobile technologies are influencing language uses and structures

l analysing the ways that identity may be created in digital contexts

l identifying how meanings or words change or shift depending on context, for example the word ‘cool’ is used to describe temperature or to express approval when used in informal contexts


Interpret the stated and implied meanings in

spoken texts, and use evidence to support or

challenge different perspectives (ACELY1730)

l listen to a conversation or speech and identify the point being made and explain the tone and manner of presentation. Change the focus of the conversation or speech and identify how meaning has changed

l change the tone in which the speech or conversation is presented and discuss how interpretations can also change.

Use interaction skills for identified purposes,

using voice and language conventions to suit

different situations, selecting vocabulary,

modulating voice and using elements such as

music, images and sound for specific effects

(ACELY1808)


l using effective strategies for dialogue and discussion in range of formal and informal contexts, including speaking clearly and coherently and at appropriate length, asking questions about stated and implied ideas, and restating and summarising main ideas

l choosing vocabulary and spoken text and sentence structures for particular purposes and audiences, such as debating a topic with a team from another school, creating a voiceover for a media presentation, and adapting language choices such as use of similes, metaphors and personification, to meet perceived audience needs

l selecting voice effects, such as tone, volume, pitch and pace, with particular attention to the effects these may have on audience reaction and acceptance of the ideas presented


selecting and sequencing appropriate content,

including multimodal elements, to reflect a

diversity of viewpoints (ACELY1731)

l creating texts that express views and values other than students’ own

l researching subject matter on social issues and/or relationships and presenting ideas in particular ways to appeal to different audiences




Analyse and evaluate the ways that text

structures and language features vary according

to the purpose of the text and the ways that

referenced sources add authority to a text

(ACELY1732)

l evaluating an author's use of particular textual structures and language features in achieving the representation of a point of view

l making assertions about the sufficiency and adequacy of information or evidence and the credibility of sources

l exploring texts that attempt to solve moral problems in a particular way, for example by consideration of consequences or rights/duties, and by identifying strengths as well as problems that arise from this approach

Apply increasing knowledge of vocabulary, text

structures and language features to understand

the content of texts (ACELY1733)

l identifying the meaning of a wide range of words, including technical and literary language in various contexts

l using print and digital/online thesauruses and dictionaries of synonyms, antonyms and homonyms and subjectspecific dictionaries

Use comprehension strategies to interpret and

evaluate texts by reflecting on the validity of

content and the credibility of sources, including

finding evidence in the text for the author’s point

of view (ACELY1734)

l reflecting on content by connecting and comparing information found in a text to knowledge sourced elsewhere

l determining and applying criteria for evaluating the credibility of a website

l explaining whether the author conveys meaning adequately, particularly in distinguishing fact from opinion

Explore and explain the ways authors combine

different modes and media in creating texts, and

the impact of these choices on the

viewer/listener (ACELY1735)

l comparing representations of different social groups in texts drawn from different modes and media, for example comparing contemporary representations of homeless people with romantic representations of the swagman and the impact of these representations on the audience


Create imaginative, informative and persuasive l integrating multimodal approaches within a spoken presentation to

texts that raise issues, report events and

advance opinions, using deliberate language

and textual choices, and including digital

elements as appropriate (ACELY1736)

purposefully develop meaning for a given audience

l selecting vocabulary to influence meaning and to position and persuade the audience, for example adjusting language to show or acknowledge power

Experiment with text structures and language

features to refine and clarify ideas to improve the

effectiveness of students’ own texts

(ACELY1810)

l experimenting with text structures and language features, for example paragraph order and content, language choices or mode of delivery, to refine and clarify ideas and to improve text effectiveness

l combining verbal, visual and sound elements in imaginative multimodal texts

l ordering paragraphs to best support and sustain an argument and to organise and convey information clearly





By the end of Year 8, students understand how the selection of text structures is influenced by the selection of language

mode and how this varies for different purposes and audiences. Students explain how language features, images and

vocabulary are used to represent different ideas and issues in texts.

Students interpret texts, questioning the reliability of sources of ideas and information. They select evidence from the text to

show how events, situations and people can be represented from different viewpoints. They listen for and identify different

emphases in texts, using that understanding to elaborate upon discussions.


Students understand how the selection of language features can be used for particular purposes and effects. They explain

the effectiveness of language choices they use to influence the audience. Through combining ideas, images and language

features from other texts, students show how ideas can be expressed in new ways.

Students create texts for different purposes, selecting language to influence audience response. They make presentations

and contribute actively to class and group discussions, using language patterns for effect. When creating and editing texts to

create specific effects, they take into account intended purposes and the needs and interests of audiences. They

demonstrate understanding of grammar, select vocabulary for effect and use accurate spelling and punctuation.


processing programs, to create, edit and

publish texts imaginatively (ACELY1738)



Year 9






face and online/virtual environments. They experience learning in familiar and unfamiliar contexts, including local community,

vocational and global contexts.

Students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment. They interpret, create, evaluate, discuss and perform a wide range of

literary texts in which the primary purpose is aesthetic, as well as texts designed to inform and persuade. These include

various types of media texts, including newspapers, film and digital texts, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, dramatic performances

and multimodal texts, with themes and issues involving levels of abstraction, higher order reasoning and intertextual

references. Students develop a critical understanding of the contemporary media, and the differences between media texts.




Literary texts that support and extend students in Years 9 and 10 as independent readers are drawn from a range of genres

and involve complex, challenging and unpredictable plot sequences and hybrid structures that may serve multiple purposes.

These texts explore themes of human experience and cultural significance, interpersonal relationships, and ethical and

global dilemmas within realworld and fictional settings and represent a variety of perspectives. Informative texts represent a

synthesis of technical and abstract information (from credible/verifiable sources) about a wide range of specialised topics.

Text structures are more complex including chapters, headings and subheadings, tables of contents, indexes and

glossaries. Language features include successive complex sentences with embedded clauses, a high proportion of

unfamiliar and technical vocabulary, figurative and rhetorical language, and dense information supported by various types of

graphics presented in visual form.


performances, reports, discussions, literary analyses, transformations of texts and reviews.

Language


Understand that Standard Australian English

is a living language within which the creation

and loss of words and the evolution of usage

is ongoing (ACELA1550)

l identifying some of the changes in the grammar of English over time, for example from thee and thou to you

l exploring examples of ‘Globish’ English





Understand that roles and relationships are

developed and challenged through language

and interpersonal skills (ACELA1551)

l identifying the various communities to which students belong and how language reinforces membership of these communities (the intimate language of family members, the jargon of teenage groups, the technicality of some online communities, the language specific to recreational groups, the interaction patterns of the classroom, the commonalities in migrant and cultural groups)

Investigate how evaluation can be expressed

directly and indirectly using devices, for

example allusion, evocative vocabulary and

metaphor (ACELA1552)

l comparing texts that use evaluative language in different ways – print advertisements, editorials, talkback radio and poetry – and identifying wordings that appraise things indirectly, through evocative language, similes and metaphors that direct the views of the readers in particular ways


Understand that authors innovate with text

structures and language for specific

purposes and effects (ACELA1553)

l experimenting with ways to present personal viewpoints through innovating with texts

Compare and contrast the use of cohesive

devices in texts, focusing on how they serve to

signpost ideas, to make connections and to

build semantic associations between ideas

(ACELA1770)

l sequencing and developing an argument using basic language structures that suggest conclusions (‘therefore’, ‘thus’ and ‘so’) or give reasons (‘since’, ‘because’) or suggest conditionals (‘if’… ‘then’)

Understand how punctuation is used along

with layout and font variations in constructing

texts for different audiences and purposes

(ACELA1556)

l experimenting with the use of colons and semicolons in expositions and other extended writing to improve precision and clarity of expression

l investigating instances of colons and semicolons in expository texts and discuss their uses in elaborating on and clarifying ideas in complex sentences


Explain how authors creatively use the

structures of sentences and clauses for

particular effects (ACELA1557)

l identifying and analysing aspects of rhetoric in speeches drawn from contemporary and earlier contexts and students creating speeches of their own

Understand how certain abstract nouns can

be used to summarise preceding or

subsequent stretches of text (ACELA1559)

l exploring sections of academic and technical texts and analysing the use of abstract nouns to compact and distil information, structure argument and summarise preceding explanations



Analyse and explain the use of symbols,

icons and myth in still and moving images

and how these augment meaning

(ACELA1560)

l investigating the use of symbols, for example the flag, the digger’s hat and the Southern Cross in images, films and picture books, and evaluating their contribution to viewers’ understanding of issues, for example national identity, recognising that visual and verbal symbols have different meanings for different groups

Identify how vocabulary choices contribute to

specificity, abstraction and stylistic

effectiveness (ACELA1561)

l comparing and contrasting vocabulary choices in informative and narrative texts, considering how they are used to create precise information, abstract ideas and/or stylistic interpretations of texts

l identifying examples of acronyms, abbreviations and proprietary words which are used creatively in texts

Understand how spelling is used creatively in

texts for particular effects, for example

characterisation and humour and to represent

accents and styles of speech (ACELA1562)

Literature


Interpret and compare how representations of

people and culture in literary texts are drawn

from different historical, social and cultural


l exploring and reflecting on representations of values (for example love, freedom, integrity) in literature drawn from cultures and times different from the students’ own

l exploring and reflecting on personal understanding of the world and human experience, interpreted in literature drawn from cultures and times different from the students’ own

l reviewing historical fiction or nonfiction written by and about the peoples of Asia

l analysing literary texts created by and about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (including documentaries, picture books, print texts and other multimodal texts) and also texts including film produced by and about peoples of Asian background, and considering the different ways these texts represent people, places, things and issues


Present an argument about a literary text

based on initial impressions and subsequent

analysis of the whole text (ACELT1771)

l interrogating and making judgments about a text, comparing others’ ideas against the student’s own and reaching an independent decision or shared consensus about the interpretations and ideas expressed



Reflect on, discuss and explore notions of

literary value and how and why such notions

vary according to context (ACELT1634)

l reflecting on and discussing responses to literature including plot events, setting details, characterisation, themes, structure and language devices used to achieve particular effects, and collaboratively formulating a list of factors that characterise merit

l discussing, debating and evaluating the cinematic qualities and success of a film or new versions of a film

l exploring the ways that context has shaped the representation of particular cultures, such as through the analysis of differing viewpoints in texts about different cultures or by comparing the ways texts from different periods reveal differences in viewpoints (for example differences in the portrayal of migrants in traditional and more contemporary literature)

Explore and reflect on personal

understanding of the world and significant

human experience gained from interpreting

various representations of life matters in texts

(ACELT1635)

l establishing a wide reading list on a particular issue based on personal preference and establishing reasons for the inclusion of these texts


Analyse texts from familiar and unfamiliar

contexts, and discuss and evaluate their

content and the appeal of an individual

author’s literary style (ACELT1636)

l comparing texts created by the same author to determine literary style, assessing its appeal and presenting this comparison to others

l examining how different authors make use of devices like myth, icons and imagery and evaluating the effect of these choices on audiences

Investigate and experiment with the use and

effect of extended metaphor, metonymy,

allegory, icons, myths and symbolism in texts,

for example poetry, short films, graphic

novels, and plays on similar themes

(ACELT1637)

l identifying examples of language devices in a range of poems, ballads or poetic extracts, and considering how their use adds to meaning and may also influence the emotional responses of listeners or readers, in varying ways

l exploring how language devices look or sound in written or spoken texts, how they can be identified, purposes they serve and what effect they might have on how the audience responds

l taking a particular area of study, a topic or theme and examining how different authors make use of devices like myth, icons and imagery in their work

Analyse text structures and language features

of literary texts, and make relevant

comparisons with other texts (ACELT1772)

l evaluating the effect on readers of text structures and language features of a literary text and comparing these with other texts

l by comparing texts, writing or speaking about how well the author constructed the opening and closing sections of the text and used ‘hooks’ to keep the reader/viewer/listener engaged and reading on/watching/listening to the end




Create literary texts, including hybrid texts, that

innovate on aspects of other texts, for

example by using parody, allusion and

appropriation (ACELT1773)

Experiment with the ways that language

features, image and sound can be adapted in

literary texts, for example the effects of

stereotypical characters and settings, the

playfulness of humour and pun and the use of

hyperlink (ACELT1638)

l making language choices and choosing particular language devices to achieve intended effects, for example building in a surprise or twist in the ending of a short story or final scene of a film

l taking an existing short story, poem, play or speech in print form and creating a short visual text which is accompanied by a sound track containing music and sound effects, and which is intended to amuse audiences who are familiar with the original text

l creating written interpretations of traditional and contemporary literature which employs devices like metaphor, symbol, allegory and myth, and evaluating the contribution of these devices to the interpretation of the text

l creating written interpretations of traditional and contemporary poetry (for example sonnets and contemporary song lyrics) focusing on their use of symbol, myth, icons and imagery

Literacy


Analyse how the construction and

interpretation of texts, including media texts,

can be influenced by cultural perspectives

and other texts (ACELY1739)

l comparing perspectives represented in texts from different times and places, including texts drawn from popular culture

l identifying, comparing and creating relationships between texts (including novels, illustrated stories, social issue cartoons, documentaries, multimodal texts)

l reflecting on the notion that all texts build on a body of prior texts in a culture

l analysing and identifying how sociocultural values, attitudes and beliefs are conveyed in texts, for example comparing and analysing perspectives about an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issue reported in commercial media compared to public and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander media

l analysing and interpreting assumptions about groups that have shaped or influenced representations of people, places, events and things and identifying how listeners and readers are positioned by these representations




Listen to spoken texts constructed for different

purposes, for example to entertain and to

persuade, and analyse how language

features of these texts position listeners to

respond in particular ways (ACELY1740)

l comparing and evaluating bias or stereotyping and presenting findings in discussions and presentations

l identifying and commenting on omissions of information in different texts

l exploring and identifying moral and ethical dimensions of an issue represented in different texts, and how these align or contradict with personal and others’ perspectives

l understanding the role of intonation, pausing, combinations of clause and rhythm in spoken language and of punctuation

Use interaction skills to present and discuss

an idea and to influence and engage an

audience by selecting persuasive language,

varying voice tone, pitch, and pace, and using

elements such as music and sound effects

(ACELY1811)


l using effective strategies for dialogue and discussion in a range of formal and informal contexts, including speaking clearly and coherently and at appropriate length, presenting a point of view and listening to other viewpoints, and negotiating an agreed position on an issue

l choosing vocabulary, spoken text and sentence structures for particular purposes and audiences, such as debating a topic with a team from another school, creating a voiceover for a media presentation, and adapting language choices such as use of similes, metaphors and personification to meet the perceived audience needs

l selecting voice effects such as tone, volume, pitch and pace for their specific effects, such as putting forward a point of view or attempting to persuade an audience to a course of action


selecting and sequencing appropriate content

and multimodal elements for aesthetic and

playful purposes (ACELY1741)

l using graphics and text animations to accompany spoken text, for example presenting a news item suitable for a current affairs program that aligns image to spoken text, or establishing humour by creating a disjunct between sound, image and spoken text




Interpret, analyse and evaluate how different

perspectives of issue, event, situation,

individuals or groups are constructed to serve

specific purposes in texts (ACELY1742)

l debating the reliability of the coverage in a range of news media of a contentious issue such as commercial logging of old growth forests

l evaluating techniques used to construct plot and create emotional responses such as comparison, contrast, exaggeration, juxtaposition, the changing of chronological order, or the expansion and compression of time

l constructing questions to frame an analysis of differing representations on moral issues in texts, and including a critical analysis of a personal view in the overall analysis of the issue

l identifying whether two texts may share a common purpose or audience, for example a feature article on a particular website or in a particular newspaper

l analysing how issues are debated and reported in the media in different countries, and the possible reasons for this, for example ‘whaling’ in Japan and Australia

l analysing and interpreting assumptions about groups that have shaped or influenced representations of people, places, events and things; identifying how listeners, viewers and readers are positioned by these representations, and supporting identified points with examples

Apply an expanding vocabulary to read

increasingly complex texts with fluency and

comprehension (ACELY1743)

l predicting meanings of unfamiliar words by using morphographic patterns

Use comprehension strategies to interpret

and analyse texts, comparing and evaluating

representations of an event, issue, situation

or character in different texts (ACELY1744)

l evaluating techniques used to construct plot and create emotional responses, for example comparison, contrast, exaggeration, juxtaposition, the changing of chronological order, or the expansion and compression of time

Explore and explain the combinations of

language and visual choices that authors

make to present information, opinions and

perspectives in different texts (ACELY1745)

l identifying or commenting on the author's approaches and use of techniques, design, form and style






By the end of Year 9, students analyse the ways that text structures can be manipulated for effect. They analyse and explain

how images, vocabulary choices and language features distinguish the work of individual authors.

They evaluate and integrate ideas and information from texts to form their own interpretations. They select evidence from the

text to analyse and explain how language choices and conventions are used to influence an audience. They listen for ways

texts position an audience.


Students understand how to use a variety of language features to create different levels of meaning. They understand how

interpretations can vary by comparing their responses to texts to the responses of others. In creating texts, students

demonstrate how manipulating language features and images can create innovative texts.

Students create texts that respond to issues, interpreting and integrating ideas from other texts. They make presentations

and contribute actively to class and group discussions, comparing and evaluating responses to ideas and issues. They edit

for effect, selecting vocabulary and grammar that contribute to the precision and persuasiveness of texts and using accurate

spelling and punctuation.

Create imaginative, informative and

persuasive texts that present a point of view

and advance or illustrate arguments,

including texts that integrate visual, print

and/or audio features (ACELY1746)

l presenting arguments that advance opinions, justify positions, and make judgments in order to persuade others about issues such the importance of maintaining balance in the biosphere

l creating imaginative texts with main ideas developed through the interconnections of plot, settings, characters, the changing of chronological order, foreshadowing in written, spoken and digital texts

l creating informative and argumentative texts with explanations, details and evidence

l following the structure of an argument which has a series of sequenced and linked paragraphs, beginning with an outline of the stance to be taken, a series of supported points that develop a line of argument, and a conclusion which summarises the main line of argument

Review and edit students’ own and others’

texts to improve clarity and control over

content, organisation, paragraphing,

sentence structure, vocabulary and

audio/visual features (ACELY1747)

l checking for run on sentences, eliminating unnecessary detail or repetition, and providing clear introductory and concluding paragraphs


processing programs, flexibly and

imaginatively to publish texts (ACELY1748)

l applying word processing functions, for example outlining, standard styles and indexing



Year 10






face and online/virtual environments. They experience learning in familiar and unfamiliar contexts, including local community,

vocational and global contexts.

Students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment. They interpret, create, evaluate, discuss and perform a wide range of

literary texts in which the primary purpose is aesthetic, as well as texts designed to inform and persuade. These include

various types of media texts, including newspapers, film and digital texts, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, dramatic performances

and multimodal texts, with themes and issues involving levels of abstraction, higher order reasoning and intertextual

references. Students develop critical understanding of the contemporary media, and the differences between media texts.




Literary texts that support and extend students in Years 9 and 10 as independent readers are drawn from a range of genres

and involve complex, challenging and unpredictable plot sequences and hybrid structures that may serve multiple purposes.

These texts explore themes of human experience and cultural significance, interpersonal relationships, and ethical and

global dilemmas within realworld and fictional settings and represent a variety of perspectives. Informative texts represent a

synthesis of technical and abstract information (from credible/verifiable sources) about a wide range of specialised topics.

Text structures are more complex including chapters, headings and subheadings, tables of contents, indexes and

glossaries. Language features include successive complex sentences with embedded clauses, a high proportion of

unfamiliar and technical vocabulary, figurative and rhetorical language, and dense information supported by various types of

graphics and images.


performances, reports, discussions, literary analyses, transformations of texts and reviews.

Language


Understand that Standard Australian English

in its spoken and written forms has a history

of evolution and change and continues to

evolve (ACELA1563)

l investigating differences between spoken and written English by comparing the language of conversation and interviews with the written language of print texts

l experimenting with and incorporating new words and creative inventions in students’ own written and spoken texts

l understanding how and why spelling became standardised and how conventions have changed over time and continue to change through common usage, the invention of new words and creative combinations of existing words





Understand how language use can have

inclusive and exclusive social effects, and

can empower or disempower people

(ACELA1564)

l identifying language that seeks to align the listener or reader (for example 'of course', 'obviously', 'as you can imagine')

l identifying the use of first person (I, we) and second person pronouns (you) to distance or involve the audience, for example in a speech made to a local cultural community

l identifying references to shared assumptions

l identifying appeals to shared cultural knowledge, values and beliefs

l reflecting on experiences of when language includes, distances or marginalises others

l creating texts that represent personal belief systems (such as credos, statements of ethical judgements, guidelines, letters to the editor and blog entries)

Understand that people’s evaluations of

texts are influenced by their value systems,

the context and the purpose and mode of

communication (ACELA1565)

l considering whether ethical judgments of good, bad, right or wrong are absolute or relative through consideration of texts with varying points of view and through discussion with others

l interpreting texts by drawing on knowledge of the historical context in which texts were created


Compare the purposes, text structures and

language features of traditional and

contemporary texts in different media

(ACELA1566)

l reproducing and adapting existing print texts for an online environment and explaining the reasons for the adaptations (for example accounting for the navigation and use of hyperlinks as structuring principles in hypertext narratives)

l investigating the structure and language of similar text types like information reports and narratives and how these are influenced by different technological affordances (for example hyperlinks as structuring principles in hypertext narratives versus linear text sequencing principles in print narratives)

Understand how paragraphs and images

can be arranged for different purposes,

audiences, perspectives and stylistic effects

(ACELA1567)

l analysing and experimenting with combinations of graphics, text and sound in the production of multimodal texts such as documentaries, media reports, online magazines and digital books

Understand conventions for citing others,

and how to reference these in different ways

(ACELA1568)

l understanding who to cite in essays, reviews and academic assignments and when it is appropriate to use direct quotations or to report sources more generally




Analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of a

wide range of sentence and clause

structures as authors design and craft texts

(ACELA1569)

l recognising how emphasis in sentences can be changed by reordering clauses (for example, ‘She made her way home because she was feeling ill’ as compared with ‘Because she was feeling ill, she made her way home’) or parts of clauses (for example, ‘The horses raced up from the valley’ as compared with ‘Up from the valley raced the horses’)

l recognising how the focus of a sentence can be changed through the use of the passive voice (for example compare active, ‘The police had caught the thief.’ with passive ‘The thief had been caught.’)

l observing how authors sometimes use verbless clauses for effect (for example, ‘And what about the other woman? With her long black eyelashes and red lipstick’)

l understanding that a sentence can begin with a coordinating conjunction for stylistic effect (for example, ‘And she went on planning to herself how she would manage it’)

Analyse how higher order concepts are

developed in complex texts through

language features including nominalisation,

clause combinations, technicality and

abstraction (ACELA1570)

l considering how nominalisation affects the way in which events are constructed and explained, making some information more explicit and other information less so

l analysing how logical relations between ideas are built up by combining main with subordinate clauses indicating cause, result, manner, concession, condition, and so on (for example, ‘Although his poems were not generally well received by critics during his life (concession), Keats’ reputation grew substantially after his death’)

l noting how technicality allows for efficient reference to shared knowledge, indicating growing expertise in the field (for example, ‘The Romantic poetry of Keats is characterised by sensual imagery, most notably in the series of odes.’)

l observing how abstraction allows for greater generalisation at a higher level (for example, ‘the political, religious, social and economic features of the society’ – which is an abstract noun group/phrase)

Evaluate the impact on audiences of different

choices in the representation of still and

moving images (ACELA1572)

l experimenting with aspects of visual texts to establish different nuances, for example evaluating the impact of the movement of camera or light in moving images

Refine vocabulary choices to discriminate

between shades of meaning, with deliberate

attention to the effect on audiences

(ACELA1571)

l creating texts that demand complex processes of responding, for example the inclusion of symbolism in advertising, foreshadowing in documentary and irony in humorous texts

Understand how to use knowledge of the

spelling system to spell unusual and

technical words accurately, for example

those based on uncommon Greek and Latin

roots (ACELA1573)

Literature




Compare and evaluate a range of

representations of individuals and groups in

different historical, social and cultural


l investigating and analysing the ways cultural stories may be retold and adapted across a range of contexts such as the ‘Cinderella’ story and the ‘antihero’

l imaginatively adapting texts from an earlier time or different social context for a new audience

l exploring and reflecting on personal understanding of the world and human experience gained from interpreting literature drawn from cultures and times different from the students’ own


Reflect on, extend, endorse or refute others’

interpretations of and responses to literature

(ACELT1640)

l determining, through debate, whether a text possesses universal qualities and remains relevant

l presenting arguments based on close textual analysis to support an interpretation of a text, for example writing an essay or creating a set of director’s notes

l creating personal reading lists in a variety of genres and explain why the texts qualify for inclusion on a particular list

l reflecting upon and asking questions about interpretations of texts relevant to a student’s cultural background

Analyse and explain how text structures,

language features and visual features of

texts and the context in which texts are

experienced may influence audience

response (ACELT1641)

l looking at a range of texts to consider how the use of a structural device, for example a female narrator, may influence female readers/viewers/listeners to respond sympathetically to an event or issue

Evaluate the social, moral and ethical

positions represented in texts (ACELT1812)

l identifying and analysing ethical positions on a current issue debated in blogs or online discussion forums, including values and/or principles involved and the strengths and weaknesses of the position in the context of the issue


Identify, explain and discuss how narrative

viewpoint, structure, characterisation and

devices including analogy and satire shape

different interpretations and responses to a

text (ACELT1642)

l looking at a range of short poems, a short story, or extracts from a novel or film to find and discuss examples of how language devices layer meaning and influence the responses of listeners, viewers or readers



Compare and evaluate how ‘voice’ as a

literary device can be used in a range of

different types of texts such as poetry to

evoke particular emotional responses

(ACELT1643)

l creating extended written responses to literary texts, making reference to varying points of view about the issues raised

Analyse and evaluate text structures and

language features of literary texts and make

relevant thematic and intertextual

connections with other texts (ACELT1774)

l using terms associated with literary text analysis (for example narrative, characters, poetry, figurative language, symbolism, soundtrack) when evaluating aspects that are valued and that contain aesthetic qualities

l writing or speaking about how effectively the author constructed the text and engaged and sustained the reader’s/viewer’s/listener’s personal interest


Create literary texts that reflect an emerging

sense of personal style and evaluate the

effectiveness of these texts (ACELT1814)

l creating texts which draw on students’ experience of other texts and which have a personal aesthetic appeal

l reflect on the authors who have influenced students’ own aesthetic style and evaluate their impact

Create literary texts with a sustained ‘voice’,

selecting and adapting appropriate text

structures, literary devices, language,

auditory and visual structures and features

for a specific purpose and intended

audience (ACELT1815)

l creating a range of students’ own spoken, written or multimodal texts, experimenting with and manipulating language devices for particular audiences, purposes and contexts

l using humour and drama as devices to entertain, inform and persuade listeners, viewers and readers

Create imaginative texts that make relevant

thematic and intertextual connections with

other texts (ACELT1644)

l creating texts that refer to themes or make particular connections to texts, for example writing crime fiction or romance short stories

Literacy




Analyse and evaluate how people, cultures,

places, events, objects and concepts are

represented in texts, including media texts,

through language, structural and/or visual

choices (ACELY1749)

l considering ethical positions across more than one culture as represented in text and consider the similarities and differences

l questioning the representation of stereotypes of people, cultures, places, events and concepts, and expressing views on the appropriateness of these representations

l identifying and explaining satirical events, including events in other cultures, for example depictions in political cartoons

l identifying and evaluating poetic, lyrical language in the depiction of people, culture, places, events, things and concepts in texts

l analysing the ways sociocultural values, attitudes and beliefs are presented in texts by comparing the ways news is reported in commercial media and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander media


Identify and explore the purposes and effects

of different text structures and language

features of spoken texts, and use this

knowledge to create purposeful texts that

inform, persuade and engage (ACELY1750)

l identifying stereotypes of people, cultures, places, events, and concepts and explaining why they are stereotypes

l identifying and explaining satirical events, including events in other cultures, for example depictions in political cartoons

l applying knowledge of spoken, visual, auditory, technical and multimodal resources (for example sound and silence, camera shot types, lighting and colour) in conjunction with verbal resources for varying purposes and contexts

l selecting subject matter and language to position readers to accept representations of people, events, ideas and information

Use organisation patterns, voice and

language conventions to present a point of

view on a subject, speaking clearly,

coherently and with effect, using logic,

imagery and rhetorical devices to engage

audiences (ACELY1813)


l using effective strategies for dialogue and discussion in a range of formal and informal contexts, including speaking clearly and coherently and at appropriate length, activating prior knowledge to assess the credibility of a speaker’s assertions, and summarising alternative views on an issue

l choosing vocabulary and spoken text and sentence structures for particular purposes and audiences, such as debating a topic with a team from another school, creating a voiceover for a media presentation, and adapting language devices such as evaluative language, cause and effect, anecdotes and humour for particular effects

l adapting voice effects, such as tone, volume, pitch, pauses and change of pace, for their specific effects such as putting forward a point of view or attempting to persuade an audience to a course of action


selecting and sequencing appropriate

content and multimodal elements to

influence a course of action (ACELY1751)

l using assumptions about listeners, viewers and readers to try to position them to accept a particular point of view






Identify and analyse implicit or explicit

values, beliefs and assumptions in texts and

how these are influenced by purposes and

likely audiences (ACELY1752)

l skim reading sections of a persuasive text to identify the main contention, key arguments in linked paragraphs and supporting evidence in order to locate points for building rebuttal or counter argument

Choose a reading technique and reading

path appropriate for the type of text, to retrieve

and connect ideas within and between texts

(ACELY1753)

l assessing the impact of hyperlinked text in a website’s navigation

l using appropriate metalanguage associated with digital technologies to analyse reading pathways on websites

Use comprehension strategies to compare

and contrast information within and between

texts, identifying and analysing embedded

perspectives, and evaluating supporting

evidence (ACELY1754)

l identifying the meaning of an increasing range of subtle vocabulary, for example inferring the different connotations of words in advertising texts from other cultures


Create sustained texts, including texts that

combine specific digital or media content, for

imaginative, informative, or persuasive

purposes that reflect upon challenging and

complex issues (ACELY1756)

l presenting a structured argument by providing a statement of the major perspectives or concerns relating to an issue; previewing the structure of arguments; structuring the text to provide a major point for each paragraph with succinct elaboration, and concluding with a summary of the main issues or recommendations in an argument

l creating spoken, written and multimodal texts that compel readers to empathise with the ideas and emotions expressed or implied

l exploring models of sustained texts created for persuasive purposes about a challenging or complex issue from other cultures, including Asia

Review, edit and refine students’ own and

others’ texts for control of content,

organisation, sentence structure, vocabulary,

and/or visual features to achieve particular

purposes and effects (ACELY1757)

l reflecting on, critiquing and refining students’ own texts prior to publishing for an authentic audience, such as uploading a movie to a website, contributing to an anthology, writing texts appropriate for the workplace, or delivering a presentation


processing programs, confidently, flexibly

and imaginatively to create, edit and publish

texts, considering the identified purpose and

the characteristics of the user (ACELY1776)

l designing a webpage that combines navigation, text, sound and moving and still images for a specific audience



By the end of Year 10, students evaluate how text structures can be used in innovative ways by different authors. They explain

how the choice of language features, images and vocabulary contributes to the development of individual style.

They develop and justify their own interpretations of texts. They evaluate other interpretations, analysing the evidence used to

support them. They listen for ways features within texts can be manipulated to achieve particular effects.


Students show how the selection of language features can achieve precision and stylistic effect. They explain different

viewpoints, attitudes and perspectives through the development of cohesive and logical arguments. They develop their own

style by experimenting with language features, stylistic devices, text structures and images.

Students create a wide range of texts to articulate complex ideas. They make presentations and contribute actively to class

and group discussions, building on others' ideas, solving problems, justifying opinions and developing and expanding

arguments. They demonstrate understanding of grammar, vary vocabulary choices for impact, and accurately use spelling

and punctuation when creating and editing texts.



adverb

a word class that may modify a verb (for example, ‘beautifully’ in ‘She sings beautifully’), an adjective (for example ‘really’ in

‘He is really interesting’) or another adverb (for example ‘very’ in ‘She walks very slowly’). In English many adverbs have an –ly

ending

adverbial

a word or group of words that contributes additional but nonessential information about the various circumstances of the

happening or state described in the main part of the clause.

Adverbials are classified on the basis of the kind of meaning involved including:

l time (for example, ‘yesterday’ in ‘I spoke with him yesterday’)

l duration (for example, ‘for several years’ in ‘They lived together for several years’)

l frequency (for example, ‘three times a year’ in ‘The committee meets three times a year’)

l place (for example, ‘in Brisbane’ in ‘We met in Brisbane’)

l manner (for example, ‘very aggressively’ in ‘He played very aggressively’)

l degree (for example, ‘very deeply’ in ‘He loves her very deeply’)

l reason (for example, ‘because of the price’ in ‘We rejected it because of the price’)

l purpose (for example, ‘to avoid embarrassing you’ in ‘I stayed away to avoid embarrassing you’)

l condition (for example, ‘if I can’ in ‘I’ll help you if I can’)

l concession (for example, ‘although she was unwell’ in ‘She joined in although she was unwell’)

Adverbials usually have the form of:

l an adverb group/phrase (for example, ‘very clearly’ in ‘She spoke very clearly’)

l a prepositional phrase (for example, ‘in the evening’ in ‘She'll be arriving in the evening’)

l a noun group/phrase (for example, ‘this morning’ in ‘I finished it this morning’)

l subordinate clauses (for example, ‘because he had an assignment to finish’ in ‘He didn’t go out because he had an assignment to finish’.) In some schools of linguistics, such subordinate clauses are treated as dependent on, rather than embedded in, the main clause.

aesthetic

relates to a sense of beauty or an appreciation of artistic expression. The selection of texts that are recognised as having

aesthetic or artistic value is an important focus of the Literature strand

alliteration

the recurrence of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of words in close succession (for example, ripe, red

raspberry)

apposition

when one noun group/phrase immediately follows another with the same reference, they are said to be in apposition (for

example, ‘our neighbour, Mr Grasso ...’, ‘Canberra, the capital of Australia, ...’)

appreciation

Glossary


the act of discerning quality and value of literary texts

audience

the intended group of readers, listeners or viewers that the writer, designer, filmmaker or speaker is addressing

author

the composer or originator of a work (for example, a novel, film, website, speech, essay, autobiography)

camera angle

the angle at which the camera is pointed at the subject. Vertical angle can be low, level or high. Horizontal angle can be

oblique (side on) or frontal

clause

a grammatical unit that refers to a happening or state (for example, ‘The netball team won’ [happening], ‘The cartoon is an

animation’ [state]).

A clause usually contains a subject and a verb group/phrase (for example, ‘The team [subject] has played [verb

group/phrase] a fantastic game’), which may be accompanied by an object or other complements (elements that are closely

related to the verb – for example, ‘the match’ in ‘The team lost the match’) and/or adverbials (for example, ‘on a rainy night’ in

‘The team won on a rainy night’).

A clause can be either a ‘main’ or ‘subordinate clause’ depending on its function:

l main clause does not depend on or function within the structure of another clause.

l subordinate clause depends on or functions within the structure of another clause. It may function directly within the structure of the larger clause, or indirectly by being contained within a noun group/phrase.

In these examples square bracket have been used to indicate the subordinate clause:

l ‘I took my umbrella [because it was raining].

l ‘[Because I am reading Shakespeare], my time is limited.’

l ‘The man [who came to dinner] is my brother.’

cohesion

grammatical or lexical relationships that bind different parts of a text together and give it unity. Cohesion is achieved through

various devices such as connectives, ellipses and word associations (sometimes called lexical cohesion). These

associations include synonyms, antonyms (for example, ‘study/laze about’, ‘ugly/beautiful’), repetition (for example, ‘work,

work, work – that’s all we do!’) and collocation (for example, ‘friend’ and ‘pal’ in, ‘My friend did me a big favour last week.

She’s been a real pal.’)

collocation

words that commonly occur in close association with one another (for example, ‘blonde’ goes with ‘hair’, ‘butter’ is ‘rancid’

not ‘rotten’, ‘salt and pepper’ not ‘pepper and salt’

colon

a punctuation convention used to separate a general statement from one or more statements that provide additional

information, explanation or illustration. The statements that follow the colon do not have to be complete sentences

complex sentence

English Glossary


complex sentence – has one or more subordinate clauses. In the following examples, the subordinate clauses are indicated

by square brackets: ‘I took my umbrella [because it was raining].’; ‘[Because I am reading Shakespeare], my time is limited.’;

‘The man [who came to dinner] is my brother.’

compound sentence

compound sentence – has two or more main clauses of equal grammatical status, usually marked by a coordinating

conjunction such as ‘and’, ‘but’ or ‘or’. In the following examples below, the main clauses are indicated by square brackets:

‘[Jill came home this morning] [but she didn't stay long].’; ‘[Kim is an actor], [Pat is a teacher], [and Sam is an architect].’

comprehension strategies

strategies and processes used by readers to make meaning from texts. Key comprehension strategies include:

activating and using prior knowledge l identifying literal information explicitly stated in the text

l making inferences based on information in the text and their own prior knowledge

l predicting likely future events in a text

l visualising by creating mental images of elements in a text summarising and organising information from a text

l integrating ideas and information in texts

l critically reflecting on content, structure, language and images used to construct meaning in a text

concepts about print

concepts about how English print works. They include information about where to start reading and how the print travels from

left to right across the page. Concepts about print are essential for beginning reading

conjunction

a word that joins other words, phrases or clauses together in logical relationships such as addition, time, cause or

comparison. There are two types of conjunctions: coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions.

l coordinating conjunctions are words that link words, groups/phrases and clauses in such a way that the elements have equal grammatical status. They include conjunctions such as ‘and’, ‘or’, ‘but’: l ‘Mum and Dad are here’ (joining words)

l ‘We visited some of our friends, but not all of them’ (joining noun groups/phrases)

l ‘Did he miss the train or is it just late?’ (joining clauses)

l subordinating conjunctions introduce certain kinds of subordinate clauses. They include conjunctions such as ‘after’, ‘when’, ‘because’, ‘if’ and ‘that’: l ‘When the meeting ended we went home’ (time)

l ‘That was because it was raining’ (reason)

l ‘I'll do it if you pay me’ (condition)

l ‘I know that he is ill’ (declarative)

l ‘I wonder whether/if she’s right?’ (interrogative)

connective

words which link paragraphs and sentences in logical relationships of time, cause and effect, comparison or addition.

Connectives relate ideas to one another and help to show the logic of the information. Connectives are important resources

for creating cohesion in texts. The logical relationships can be grouped as follows:

l temporal – to indicate time or sequence ideas (for example ‘first’, ‘second’, ‘next’)

English Glossary


l causal – to show cause and effect (for example ‘because’, ‘for’ , ‘s o’)

l additive – to add information (for example ‘also’, ‘besides’, ‘furthermore’)

l comparative – for example ‘rather’, ‘alternatively’

l conditional/concessive – to make conditions or concession (for example ‘yet’, ‘although’)

l clarifying – for example ‘in fact’, ‘for example’

context

the environment in which a text is responded to or created. Context can include the general social, historical and cultural

conditions in which a text is responded to and created (the context of culture) or the specific features of its immediate

environment (context of situation). The term is also used to refer to the wording surrounding an unfamiliar word that a reader

or listener uses to understand its meaning

convention

an accepted language practice that has developed over time and is generally used and understood (for example, use of

punctuation)

coordinating conjunctions

coordinating conjunctions are words that link words, groups/phrases and clauses in such a way that the elements have

equal grammatical status. They include conjunctions such as ‘and’, ‘or’, ‘but’:

l ‘Mum and Dad are here’ (joining words)

l ‘We visited some of our friends, but not all of them’ (joining noun groups/phrases)

l ‘Did he miss the train or is it just late?’ (joining clauses)

create

develop and/or produce spoken, written or multimodal texts in print or digital forms

creating

creating refers to the development and/or production of spoken, written or multimodal texts in print or digital forms

decode

the process of working out the meaning of words in a text. In decoding, readers draw on contextual, vocabulary, grammatical

and phonic knowledge. Readers who decode effectively combine these forms of knowledge fluently and automatically, using

meaning to recognise when they make an error, and selfcorrect

design

the way that particular elements are selected and used in the process of text construction for particular purposes. These

elements might be linguistic (words), visual (images), audio (sounds), gestural (body language), spatial (arrangement on

the page, screen or 3D), and multimodal (a combination of more than one)

digital texts

audio, visual or multimodal texts produced through digital or electronic technology which may be interactive and include

animations and/or hyperlinks. Examples of digital texts include DVDs, websites, eliterature

digraph

English Glossary


two letters that represent a single sound:

l vowel digraphs have two vowels (for example, ‘oo’, ‘ea’)

l consonant digraphs have two consonants (for example, ‘sh’, ‘th’)

l vowel/consonant digraphs have one vowel and one consonant (for example, ‘er’, ‘ow’)

eliterature

the electronic publication of literature using the multimedia capabilities of digital technologies to create interactive and

possibly nonlinear texts, through combining written text, movement, visual, audio and spatial elements. Eliterature may

include hypertext fiction, computer art installations, kinetic poetry and collaborative writing projects, allowing readers to

contribute to a work. It also includes texts where print meanings are enhanced through digital images and/or sound, as well

as literature that is reconstituted from print texts (for example, online versions of The Little Prince or Alice in Wonderland)

ellipsis

l the omission of words that repeat what has gone before. The repetition is not necessary because the meaning is understood (for example, ‘The project will be innovative. To be involved will be exciting.’ – ‘in the project’ is ellipsed in the second sentence)

l where a word such as ‘one’ is substituted for a noun group/phrase, as in ‘There are lots of apples in the bowl and you can take two big ones’ (substitution)

l a cohesive resource that binds text together and is commonly used in dialogue for speed of response and economy of effort (for example, [do you] ‘Want a drink?’ / ‘Thanks, I would.’ [like a drink])

l the use of three dots. This form of punctuation (also known as points of ellipsis) can be used to indicate such things as surprise or suspense in a narrative text or to indicate that there is more to come in an onscreen menu

etymological knowledge

knowledge of the origins and development of the form and meanings of words and how the meanings and forms have

changed over time

evaluative language

positive or negative language that judges the worth of something. It includes language to express feelings and opinions, to

make judgments about aspects of people such as their behaviour, and to assess the quality of objects such as literary

works. Evaluations can be made explicit (for example, through the use of adjectives as in: ‘She’s a lovely girl’, ‘He’s an awful

man’, or ‘How wonderful!’), however, they can be left implicit (for example, ‘He dropped the ball when he was tackled’, or ‘Mary

put her arm round the child while she wept.’)

figurative language

word groups/phrases used in a way that differ from the expected or everyday usage. They are used in a nonliteral way for

particular effect (for example: simile – ‘white as a sheet’; metaphor – ‘all the world’s a stage’; personification – ‘the wind

grabbed at my clothes’)

framing

the way in which elements in a still or moving image are arranged to create a specific interpretation of the whole. Strong

framing creates a sense of enclosure around elements while weak framing creates a sense of openness

function and class

English Glossary


how one grammatical unit relates to another is its function. For example, in the clause ‘The meeting started late’, ‘the

meeting’ is the subject. This describes its relation to the verb (and the clause). However, in the clause ‘They started the

meeting late’, the same words (‘the meeting’) stands in a different relation to the verb: it is functioning as its object.

A class is a set of grammatical units that are alike in the language system such as noun, verb, adjective and the

corresponding groups/phrases: noun group/phrase, verb group/phrase, adjective group/phrase.’ For example, to say that ‘the

meeting’ is a noun group/phrase is to say that it is the same kind of unit as ‘a book’, ‘that car’, ‘my uncle’

genre

the categories into which texts are grouped. The term has a complex history within literary theory and is often used to

distinguish texts on the basis of their subject matter (detective fiction, romance, science fiction, fantasy fiction), form and

structure (poetry, novels, short stories)

grammar

the language we use and the description of language as a system. In describing language, attention is paid to both structure

(form) and meaning (function) at the level of the word, the sentence and the text

graphophonic knowledge

the knowledge of how letters in printed English relate to the sounds of the language

group/phrase

the terms ‘group’ and ‘phrase’ are used by different schools of linguistics to refer to units intermediate between the clause

and the word. In the English curriculum, ‘group/phrase’ is used to recognise these different usages. For example, the units

enclosed in brackets in the following sentence are examples of a group/phrase: ‘(The carnival) (had made) (the two little girls

with the red shirts) (very tired)’.

In the example, ‘the carnival’ and ‘the two little girls with the red shirts’ are called noun groups/phrases because they have a

noun (‘carnival’ and ‘girls’) as their major element; similarly, ‘had made’ is a verb group/phrase and ‘very tired’ an adjective

group/phrase

handwriting

the production of legible, correctly formed letters by hand or with the assistance of writing tools, for example, pencil grip or

assistive technology

high – frequency words

the most common words used in written English text. They are sometimes called ‘irregular words’ or ‘sight words’. Many

common or highfrequency words in English cannot be decoded using sound–letter correspondence because they do not

use regular or common letter patterns. These words need to be learnt by sight (for example, ‘come’, ‘was’, ‘were’, ‘one’,

‘they’, ‘watch’, ‘many’)

homophone

a word identical in pronunciation with another but different in meaning (for example, ‘bear’ and ‘bare’, ‘air’ and ‘heir’)

hybrid texts

composite texts resulting from a mixing of elements from different sources or genres (for example, infotainment). Email is an

example of a hybrid text, combining the immediacy of talk and the expectation of a reply with the permanence of print

idiomatic expressions

English Glossary


a group of (more or less) fixed words having a meaning not deducible from the individual words. Idioms are typically informal

expressions used by particular social groups and need to be explained as one unit (for example, ‘I am over the moon’, ‘on

thin ice’, ‘a fish out of water’, ‘fed up to the back teeth’)

intertextuality

the associations or connections between one text and other texts. Intertextual references can be more or less explicit and

selfconscious. They can take the form of direct quotation, parody, allusion or structural borrowing

juxtaposition

the placement of two or more ideas, characters, actions, settings, phrases, or words sidebyside for a particular purpose (for

example, to highlight contrast or for rhetorical effect)

language features

the features of language that support meaning (for example, sentence structure, noun group/phrase, vocabulary, punctuation,

figurative language). Choices in language features and text structures together define a type of text and shape its meaning.

These choices vary according to the purpose of a text, its subject matter, audience and mode or medium of production

language patterns

the arrangement of identifiable repeated or corresponding elements in a text. These include patterns of repetition or similarity

(for example, the repeated use of verbs at the beginning of each step in a recipe, or the repetition of a chorus after each verse

in a song). The patterns may alternate (for example, the call and response pattern of some games, or the to and fro of a

dialogue). Other patterns may contrast (for example, opposing viewpoints in a discussion, or contrasting patterns of imagery

in a poem). The language patterns of a text contribute to the distinctive nature of its overall organisation and shape its

meaning

layout

the spatial arrangement of print and graphics on a page or screen including size of font, positioning of illustrations, inclusion

of captions, labels, headings, bullet points, borders and text boxes

lexical cohesion

the use of word associations to create links in texts. Links can be made through the use of repetition of words, synonyms,

antonyms and words that are related such as by class and subclass

listen

the use of the sense of hearing as well as a range of active behaviours to comprehend information received through gesture,

body language and other sensory systems

media texts

spoken, print, graphic or electronic communications with a public audience. They often involve numerous people in their

construction and are usually shaped by the technology used in their production. The media texts studied in English can be

found in newspapers, magazines and on television, film, radio, computer software and the internet

medium

the resources used in the production of texts, including the tools and materials used (for example, digital text and the

computer, writing and the pen or the typewriter)

metalanguage

English Glossary


vocabulary used to discuss language conventions and use ( for example, language used to talk about grammatical terms

such as ‘sentence’, 'clause’, 'conjunction')

metonymy

the use of the name of one thing or attribute of something to represent something larger or related (for example, using the

word ‘Crown’ to represent a monarch of a country; referring to a place for an event, as in ‘Chernobyl’ when referring to

changed attitudes to nuclear power, or a time for an event, as in ‘9/11’ when referring to changed global relations)

modal verb

a verb that expresses a degree of probability attached by a speaker to a statement (for example `I might come home’) or a

degree of obligation (for example ‘You must give it to me’, `You are not permitted to smoke in here’)

modality

an area of meaning having to do with possibility, probability, obligation and permission. In the following examples, the modal

meanings are expressed by the auxiliary verbs ‘must’ and ‘may’:

l ‘Sue may have written the note’ (possibility)

l ‘Sue must have written the note’ (probability)

l ‘You must postpone the meeting’ (obligation)

l ‘You may postpone the meeting’ (permission)

Modality can also be expressed by several different kinds of words:

l adverbs (for example, ‘possibly’, ‘necessarily’, ‘certainly’, ‘perhaps’)

l adjectives (for example, ‘possible’, ‘probable’, ‘likely’, ‘necessary’)

l nouns (for example, ‘possibility’, ‘necessity’, ‘obligation’)

l modal verbs (for example, ‘permit’, ‘oblige’)

mode

the various processes of communication – listening, speaking, reading/viewing and writing/creating. Modes are also used to

refer to the semiotic (meaning making) resources associated with these communicative processes, such as sound, print,

image and gesture

morpheme

the smallest meaningful or grammatical unit in language. Morphemes are not necessarily the same as words. The word ‘cat’

has one morpheme, while the word ‘cats’ has two morphemes: ‘cat’ for the animal and ‘s’ to indicate that there is more than

one. Similarly, ‘like’ has one morpheme, while ‘dislike’ has two: ‘like’ to describe appreciation and ‘dis’ to indicate the

opposite. Morphemes are very useful in helping students work out how to read and spell words

morphemic knowledge

knowledge of morphemes, morphemic processes and the different forms and combinations of morphemes (for example, the

word ‘unfriendly’ is formed from the stem ‘friend’, the adjectiveforming suffix ‘ly’ and the negative prefix ‘un’)

multimodal text

English Glossary


combination of two or more communication modes (for example, print, image and spoken text, as in film or computer

presentations)

narrative

a story of events or experiences, real or imagined. In literary theory, narrative includes the story (what is narrated) and the

discourse (how it is narrated)

narrative pointofview

the ways in which a narrator may be related to the story. For example, the narrator might take the role of first or third person,

omniscient or restricted in knowledge of events, reliable or unreliable in interpretation of what happens

neologism

the creation of a new word or expression. This can occur in a number of ways for example: an existing word used in a new

way (for example, 'deadly') and through abbreviations (for example, 'HIV')

nominalisation

l a process for forming nouns from verbs (for example, ‘reaction’ from ‘react’ or ‘departure’ from ‘depart’) or adjectives (for example, ‘length’ from ‘long’, ‘eagerness’ from ‘eager’)

l a process for forming noun groups/phrases from clauses (for example, ‘their destruction of the city’ from ‘they destroyed the city’)

l nominalisation is a way of making a text more compact and is often a feature of texts that contain abstract ideas and concepts

noun

l a word class that includes all words denoting physical objects such as ‘man’, ‘woman’, ‘boy’, ‘girl’, ‘diamond’, ‘car’, ‘window’ etc. These are called ‘concrete nouns’. ‘Abstract nouns’ express intangibles such as ‘democracy’, ‘courage’, ‘success’, ‘fact’, ‘idea’.

l the most important grammatical property of nouns concerns their function. A noun group/phrase, which contains a noun as its major element, can function as: l subject (for example, ‘(The sun) was shining.’)

l object (for example, ‘I'd like (an apple).’)

l as part of a prepositional phrase (for example, ‘They arrived (on time)’.)

l most nouns can be marked for plural (for example, ‘dog’–‘dogs’, ‘woman’–‘women’), and for possessive (for example, ‘dogs’–‘dog’s’, ‘woman’–‘woman's’)

l there are three major grammatical types of nouns: common nouns, proper nouns and pronouns. l common nouns do not name a particular person, place, thing, quality and so on. They can be concrete or abstract

nouns.

l proper nouns serve as the names of particular persons, places, days/months and festivals. They usually occur without a determiner, such as ‘the’.

l pronouns include words such as ‘I’, ‘we’, ‘you’, which refer directly to the speaker or addressee(s), and ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’, ‘they’, which typically refer to a previously mentioned noun group/phrase

noun group/phrase

consist of a noun as the major element, alone or accompanied by one or more modifiers. The noun functioning as the major

element may be a common noun, proper noun or pronoun. Expressions belonging to a range of classes may function as

modifiers:

English Glossary


l those that precede the main noun include: l determiners (for example, ‘the car’, ‘a disaster’, ‘some people’, ‘many mistakes’)

l possessive noun groups/phrases and pronouns (for example, ‘the old man's house’, ‘Kim's behaviour’, ‘my father’)

l numerals (for example, ‘two days’, ‘thirty casualties’, ‘a hundred students’)

l adjectives (for example, ‘grave danger’, ‘a nice day’, ‘some new ideas’, ‘poor Tom’)

l nouns (for example, ‘the unemployment rate’, ‘a tax problem’, ‘a Qantas pilot’)

l those that follow the main noun usually belong to one or other of the following classes: l prepositional phrases (for example, ‘a pot of tea’, ‘the way to Adelaide’, ‘work in progress’)

l subordinate clauses (for example, ‘the woman who wrote it’, ‘people living near the coast’)

onset and rime

the separate sounds in a syllable or in a onesyllable word (for example, in ‘cat’ the onset is /c/ and the rime is /at/; in ‘shop’

the onset is /sh/ and the rime is /op/). Word families can be constructed using common onsets such as /t/ in ‘top’, ‘town’, ‘tar’,

‘tap’, or common rimes such as /at/ in ‘cat’, ‘pat’, ‘sat’, ‘rat’. These are very useful for teaching spelling

personification

the description of an inanimate object as though it were a person or living thing

phoneme

the smallest unit of sound in a word (for example, the word ‘is’ has two phonemes: /i/ and /s/; the word ‘ship’ has three

phonemes: /sh/, /i/, /p/)

phonic

the term used to refer to the ability to identify the relationships between letters and sounds when reading and spelling

phonological awareness

a broad concept that relates to the sounds of spoken language. It includes understandings about words, rhyme, syllables

and onset and rime. NOTE: the term ‘sound’ relates to the sound we make when we say a letter or word, not to the letter in

print. A letter may have more than one sound, such as the letter ‘a’ in ‘was’, ‘can’ or ‘father’, and a sound can be represented

by more than one letter such as the sound /k/ in ‘cat’ and ‘walk’. The word ‘ship’ had three sounds /sh/, /i/, /p/, but has four

letters ‘s’, ‘h’, ‘i’, ‘p’. Teachers should use the terms ‘sound’ and ‘letter’ accurately to help students clearly distinguish

between the two items

phonological knowledge

information about the sounds of language and letter–sound relationships when comprehending a text (for example, single

sounds, blends)

phrase

a unit intermediate between clause and word, consisting of a head word alone or accompanied by one or more dependents.

The class of a phrase is determined by the head: a phrase with a noun as head is a noun group/phrase (for example, ‘men’

or ‘the men who died’), one with a verb as head is a verb group/phrase (for example, ‘went’ or ‘had gone’)

poetic devices

particular patterns and techniques of language used in poems to create particular effects

point of view

English Glossary


l refers to the viewpoint of an author, audience or characters in a text

l narrative point of view refers to the ways a narrator may be related to the story. The narrator, for example, might take the role of first or third person, omniscient or restricted in knowledge of events, reliable or unreliable in interpretation of what happens

possessive

the possessive is generally marked by the suffix 's’ (for example `woman's’, `Anne's’). The main exception is that in plural

nouns ending in `(e)s’ the possessive is marked by the apostrophe alone. With proper nouns ending in `s’ there is variation

between the regular possessive form and one marked by the apostrophe alone: compare `James's’ and `James’. The

regular form is always acceptable but a variant form without the second `s’ is sometimes found (for example `James’s

house’ or `James’ house). The irregular form is often found with names of religious, classical or literary persons (for

example, `Moses' life’, `Sophocles' ideas’, `Dickens' novel)

predictable text

texts that are easily navigated and read by beginning readers because they contain highly regular features such as familiar

subject matter, a high degree of repetition, consistent placement of text and illustrations, simple sentences, familiar

vocabulary and a small number of sight words

prediction

an informed presumption about something that might happen. Predicting at the text level can include working out what a text

might contain by looking at the cover, or working out what might happen next in a narrative. Predicting at the sentence level is

identifying what word is likely to come next in a sentence

prefix

a meaningful element (morpheme) added to the ‘beginning of a word to change its meaning’ (for example, ‘un’ to ‘happy’ to

make ‘unhappy’

preposition

a word class that usually describes the relationship between words in a sentence:

l space (for example, ‘below’, ‘in’, ‘on’, ‘to’, ‘under’, and so on ‒ 'She sat on the table.')

l time (for example, ‘after’, ‘before’, ‘since’ ‒'Í will go to the beach after lunch.')

l those that do not relate to space and time (for example, ‘of’, ‘besides’, ‘except’, ‘despite’, and so on ‒ ’He ate all the beans except the purple ones')

l prepositions usually combine with a noun group/phrase to form a prepositional phrase (for example, ‘in the office’, ‘besides these two articles’)

prepositional phrases

typically consist of a preposition followed by a noun group/phrase. Prepositional phrases occur with a range of functions,

including:

l adverbial in clause structure (for example, ‘on the train’ in ‘We met on the train.’)

l modifier in noun group/phrase structure (for example, ‘with two children’ in ‘a couple with two children’)

l modifier in adjective group/phrase structure (for example, ‘on golf’ in ‘keen on golf’)

pun

English Glossary


humorous use of a word to bring out more than one meaning; a play on words

read

to process words, symbols or actions to derive and/or construct meaning. Reading includes interpreting, critically analysing

and reflecting upon the meaning of a wide range of written and visual, print and nonprint texts

return sweep

the way English print travels from left to right and then returns to the left of the page for the next and each subsequent line

rhetorical question

a question that is asked to provoke thought rather than require an answer

salience

a strategy of emphasis, highlighting what is important in a text. In images, salience is created through strategies like

placement of an item in the foreground, size and contrast in tone or colour. In writing, salience can occur through placing

what is important at the beginning or at the end of a sentence or paragraph or through devices such as underlining or italics

scanning

when reading, moving the eyes quickly down the page seeking specific words and phrases. Scanning is also used when a

reader first finds a resource to determine whether it will answer their questions

semantic knowledge/information

information related to meanings used when reading. Semantic information includes a reader’s own prior knowledge and the

meanings embedded in a text. Readers use semantic information to assist in decoding and to derive meanings from a text

semicolon

a punctuation convention used to join clauses that could stand alone as sentences. In this way, clauses that have a close

relationship with one another may be linked together in a single sentence

sentence

In writing, a sentence is marked by punctuation, but in speech the boundaries between sentences are not always so clear.

There are different types of sentences:

l simple sentence – has the form of a single clause (for example, ‘David walked to the shops.’ or ‘Take a seat.’)

l compound sentence – has two or more main clauses of equal grammatical status, usually marked by a coordinating conjunction such as ‘and’, ‘but’ or ‘or’. In the following examples below, the main clauses are indicated by square brackets: ‘[Jill came home this morning] [but she didn't stay long].’; ‘[Kim is an actor], [Pat is a teacher], [and Sam is an architect].’

l complex sentence – has one or more subordinate clauses. In the following examples, the subordinate clauses are indicated by square brackets: ‘I took my umbrella [because it was raining].’; ‘[Because I am reading Shakespeare], my time is limited.’; ‘The man [who came to dinner] is my brother.’

simple sentence

has the form of a single clause (for example, ‘David walked to the shops.’ or ‘Take a seat.’)

sound effect

English Glossary


any sound, other than speech or music, used to create an effect in a text

sound‒letter correspondence

the relationship of spoken sounds of English to letters of the alphabet or to letter clusters

speak

convey meaning and communicate with purpose. Some students participate in speaking activities using communication

systems and assistive technologies to communicate wants, and needs, and to comment about the world

spoonerism

a slip of the tongue where the initial sounds of a pair of words are transposed (for example, wellboiled icicle for welloiled

bicycle)

Standard Australian English

the variety of spoken and written English language in Australia used in more formal settings such as for official or public

purposes, and recorded in dictionaries, style guides and grammars. While it is always dynamic and evolving, it is recognised

as the ‘common language’ of Australians

stereotype

when a person or thing is judged to be the same as all others of its type. Stereotypes are usually formulaic and

oversimplified

stylistic features

the ways in which aspects of texts (such as words, sentences, images) are arranged and how they affect meaning. Style can

distinguish the work of individual authors (for example, Jennings’s stories, Lawson’s poems), as well as the work of a

particular period (for example, Elizabethan drama, nineteenthcentury novels). Examples of stylistic features are narrative

viewpoint, structure of stanzas, juxtaposition

subject

a function in the structure of a clause usually filled by a noun group/phrase (for example, ‘The dog [subject] was barking’).

l the normal position of the subject is before the verb group/phrase, but in most kinds of interrogatives (questions) it follows the first auxiliary verb (for example, ‘Was the dog barking?’, ‘Why was the dog barking?’)

l in main clauses the subject is an obligatory element, except in imperative (command) clauses (for example, ‘Be very tactful’) and in casual style (for example, ‘Want some?’)

l most personal pronouns have a different form when they are the subject of a main clause (‘I’, ‘he’, ‘she’, etc.) than when they are the object (‘me’, ‘him’, ‘her’). For example, we say ‘She won the race’, not ‘Her won the race’. Similarly, we say ‘Give it to Mary and me’, not ‘Give it to Mary and I.’

l in the present tense, and the past tense with the verb ‘be’, the verb agrees with the subject in person and number (for example, ‘Her son lives with her’ and ‘Her sons live with her’)

Subject matter refers to the topic or theme under consideration

subordinating conjunction

subordinating conjunctions introduce certain kinds of subordinate clauses. They include conjunctions such as ‘after’, ‘when’,

‘because’, ‘if’ and ‘that’:

l ‘When the meeting ended we went home’ (time)

English Glossary


l ‘That was because it was raining’ (reason)

l ‘I'll do it if you pay me’ (condition)

l ‘I know that he is ill’ (declarative)

l ‘I wonder whether/if she’s right?’ (interrogative)

suffix

a meaningful element added to the end of a word to change its meaning (for example, to show its tense : ‘ed’ in ‘passed’.

Common suffixes are ‘ing’; ‘ed’; ‘ness’; ‘less’; ‘able’)

syllabification

the process of dividing words into syllables

syllable

a unit of sound within a word

syntax

the ways in which sentences are formed from words, group/phrases and clauses. In some education settings, the terms

‘syntax’ and ‘grammar’ are used interchangeably

tense

a grammatical category marked by a verb in which the situation described in the clause is located in time. For example,

present tense ‘has’ in ‘Sarah has a headache’ locates the situation in present time, while past tense ‘had’ in ‘Sarah had a

headache’ locates it in past time.

However, the relation between grammatical tense and (semantic) time is not always as simple as this. For example, present

tense is typically used to talk about:

l present states, as in ‘He lives in Darwin’

l actions that happen regularly in the present, as in ‘He watches television every night’

l ‘timeless’ happenings, as in information reports such as ‘Bears hibernate in winter’

l references to future events, as in ‘The match starts tomorrow’ where the tense is present but the time future. Likewise in ‘I thought the match started tomorrow’ where the subordinate clause ‘the match started tomorrow’ has past tense but refers to future time

text

the means for communication. Their forms and conventions have developed to help us communicate effectively with a variety

of audiences for a range of purposes. Texts can be written, spoken or multimodal and in print or digital/online forms.

Multimodal texts combine language with other systems for communication, such as print text, visual images, soundtrack and

spoken word as in film or computer presentation media

text navigation

the way readers move through text. Readers generally read novels in a linear fashion from the beginning to the end; readers

of nonfiction books often use the contents page and index and move between chapters according to the information sought.

Readers often read digital texts more flexibly, according to interest and purpose, using hyperlinks to move between pages

and digital objects, such as videos or animations, making quick judgments about relevance of material

text processing strategies

English Glossary


strategies readers use to decode a text. These involve drawing on contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge

in systematic ways to work out what a text says. They include predicting, recognising words and working out unknown words,

monitoring the reading, identifying and correcting errors, reading on and rereading

text structure

the ways in which information is organised in different types of texts (for example, chapter headings, subheadings, tables of

contents, indexes and glossaries, overviews, introductory and concluding paragraphs, sequencing, topic sentences,

taxonomies, cause and effect). Choices in text structures and language features together define a text type and shape its

meaning

theme

l refers to the main idea or message of a text, or

l grammatical theme indicates importance both within a clause and across a text . In a clause the theme comes in first position and indicates what the sentence is about. Theme is important at different levels of text organisation. The topic sentence serves as the theme for the points raised in a paragraph. A pattern of themes contributes to the method of development for the text as a whole

types of texts

classifications according to the particular purposes they are designed to achieve. These purposes influence the

characteristic features the texts employ. In general, in the Australian Curriculum: English, texts can be classified as belonging

to one of three types: imaginative, informative or persuasive, although it is acknowledged that these distinctions are neither

static nor watertight and particular texts can belong to more than one category.

Imaginative texts – texts whose primary purpose is to entertain through their imaginative use of literary elements. They are

recognised for their form, style and artistic or aesthetic value. These texts include novels, traditional tales, poetry, stories,

plays, fiction for young adults and children including picture books and multimodal texts such as film.

Informative texts – texts whose primary purpose is to provide information. They include texts which are culturally important in

society and are valued for their informative content, as a store of knowledge and for their value as part of everyday life. These

texts include explanations and descriptions of natural phenomena, recounts of events, instructions and directions, rules and

laws and news bulletins.

Persuasive texts – whose primary purpose is to put forward a point of view and persuade a reader, viewer or listener. They

form a significant part of modern communication in both print and digital environments. They include advertising, debates,

arguments, discussions, polemics and influential essays and articles

verb

a word class that describes a kind of situation such as a happening (for example, ‘climbed’ in ‘She climbed the ladder’) or a

state (for example, ‘is’ in ‘The koala is an Australian mammal’).

l verbs are essential to clause structure: all clauses contain a verb, except in certain types of ellipsis (for example, ‘Sue lives in Sydney, her parents in Melbourne’, where there is ellipsis of ‘live’ in the second clause).

l virtually all verbs have contrasting past and present tense forms. Some are signalled by inflections such as ‘s’ and ‘ed’. For example: l walks (present tense)

l walked (past tense).

l other verbs have irregular forms that signal a change in tense. For example: l present – ‘am/is/are’ and past – ‘was/’were’

l present participle ‘being’ and past participle ‘been’.

English Glossary


Auxiliary verbs and modal verbs are two types of verbs:

l auxiliary verbs are also referred to as ‘helping’ verbs. They precede the main verb – for example, ‘draw’ (main verb) ‘has drawn’ (auxiliary verb assisting)

l modal verbs express a degree of probability (for example, ‘I might come home’) or a degree of obligation (for example ‘You must give it to me’, ‘You are not permitted to smoke in here’)

verb groups

consists of a main verb, alone or preceded by one or more auxiliary or modal verbs as modifiers. For example, verb

groups/phrases:

l create tense, as in ‘He [was happy]’, ‘She [is working] at home’, ‘I [have seen] him before’

l express modality using modal verbs such as ‘can’, ‘may’, ‘must’, ‘will’, ‘shall’ and so on, as in ‘You [must be] mad’, ‘He [will have arrived] by now’, ‘She [may know] them’

l create passive voice, as in ‘A photo [was taken]

view

observe with purpose, understanding and critical awareness. Some students participate in viewing activities by listening to

an adult or peer describing the visual features of text, diagrams, pictures and multimedia

visual features

visual components of a text such as placement, salience, framing, representation of action or reaction, shot size, social

distance and camera angle

visual language choices

choices that contribute to the meaning of an image or the visual components of a multimodal text and are selected from a

range of visual features like placement, salience, framing, representation of action or reaction, shot size, social distance and

camera angle

voice

In English grammar voice is used to describe the contrast between such pairs of clauses as ‘The dog bit me’ (active voice)

and ‘I was bitten by the dog’ (passive voice). Active and passive clauses differ in the way participant roles are associated with

grammatical functions

In clauses expressing actions, like the above examples, the subject of the active (‘the dog’) has the role of actor, and the

object (‘me’) the role of patient, whereas in the passive the subject (‘I’) has the role of patient and the object of the preposition

by (‘the dog’) the role of actor.

In clauses that describe situations other than actions, such as ‘Everyone admired the minister’ and ‘The minister was

admired by everyone’, the same grammatical difference is found, so that the object of the active (‘the minister’) corresponds

to the subject of the passive, and the subject of the active (‘everyone’) corresponds to the object of the preposition ‘by’.

And in the literary sense, it can be used to refer to the nature of the voice projected in a text by an author (for example,

‘authorial voice’ in a literary text or ‘expert voice’ in an exposition)

write

English Glossary


plan, compose, edit and publish texts in print or digital forms. Writing usually involves activities using pencils, pens, word

processors; and/or using drawings, models, photos to represent text; and/or using a scribe to record responses or produce

recorded responses

English Glossary


English Scope and Sequence: Foundation to Year 6Sub

StrandFocus of thread

within the sub-strand Foundation Year Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6La

ngua

ge

Varia

tion

and

Chan

geLanguage variation and changeHow English varies according to context and purpose including cultural and historical contexts

Understand that English is one of many languages spoken in Australia and that different languages may be spoken by family, classmates and community

Understand that people use different systems of communication to cater to different needs and purposes and that many people may use sign systems to communicate with others

Understand that spoken, visual and written forms of language are different modes of communication with different features and their use varies according to the audience, purpose, context and cultural background

Understand that languages have different written and visual communication systems, different oral traditions and different ways of constructing meaning

Understand that Standard Australian English is one of many social dialects used in Australia, and that while it originated in England it has been influenced by many other languages

Understand that the pronunciation, spelling and meanings of words have histories and change over time

Understand that different social and geographical dialects or accents are used in Australia in addition to Standard Australian English

Lang

uage

for i

nter

actio

n

Language for social interactionsHow language used for different formal and informal social interactions is influenced by the purpose and audience

Explore how language is used differently at home and school depending on the relationships between people

Understand that language is used in combination with other means of communication, for example facial expressions and gestures to interact with others

Understand that there are different ways of asking for information, making offers and giving commands

Understand that language varies when people take on different roles in social and classroom interactions and how the use of key interpersonal language resources varies depending on context

Understand that successful cooperation with others depends on shared use of social conventions, including turn-taking patterns, and forms of address that vary according to the degree of formality in social situations

Understand that social interactions influence the way people engage with ideas and respond to others for example when exploring and clarifying the ideas of others, summarising their own views and reporting them to a larger group

Understand that patterns of language interaction vary across social contexts and types of texts and that they help to signal social roles and relationships

Understand that strategies for interaction become more complex and demanding as levels of formality and social distance increase

Evaluative languageHow language is used to express opinions, and make evaluative judgments about people, places, things and texts

Understand that language can be used to explore ways of expressing needs, likes and dislikes

Explore different ways of expressing emotions, including verbal, visual, body language and facial expressions

Identify language that can be used for appreciating texts and the qualities of people and things

Examine how evaluative language can be varied to be more or less forceful

Understand differences between the language of opinion and feeling and the language of factual reporting or recording

Understand how to move beyond making bare assertions and take account of differing perspectives and points of view

Understand the uses of objective and subjective language and bias

Text

str

uctu

re a

nd o

rgan

isat

ion

Purpose audience and structures of different types of textsHow texts serve different purposes and how the structures of types of texts vary according to the text purpose

Understand that texts can take many forms, can be very short (for example an exit sign) or quite long (for example an information book or a film) and that stories and informative texts have different purposes

Understand that the purposes texts serve shape their structure in predictable ways

Understand that different types of texts have identifiable text structures and language features that help the text serve its purpose

Understand how different types of texts vary in use of language choices, depending on their purpose and context (for example, tense and types of sentences)

Understand how texts vary in complexity and technicality depending on the approach to the topic, the purpose and the intended audience

Understand how texts vary in purpose, structure and topic as well as the degree of formality

Understand how authors often innovate on text structures and play with language features to achieve particular aesthetic, humorous and persuasive purposes and effects

Text cohesionHow texts work as cohesive wholes through language features which link the parts of the text together, such as paragraphs, connectives, nouns and associated pronouns

Understand that some language in written texts is unlike everyday spoken language

Understand patterns of repetition and contrast in simple texts

Understand how texts are made cohesive through resources, for example word associations, synonyms, and antonyms

Understand that paragraphs are a key organisational feature of written texts

Understand how texts are made cohesive through the use of linking devices including pronoun reference and text connectives

Understand that the starting point of a sentence gives prominence to the message in the text and allows for prediction of how the text will unfold

Understand that cohesive links can be made in texts by omitting or replacing words

PunctuationHow punctuation works to perform different functions in a text.

Understand that punctuation is a feature of written text different from letters; recognise how capital letters are used for names, and that capital letters and full stops signal the beginning and end of sentences

Recognise that different types of punctuation, including full stops, question marks and exclamation marks, signal sentences that make statements, ask questions, express emotion or give commands

Recognise that capital letters signal proper nouns and commas are used to separate items in lists

Know that word contractions are a feature of informal language and that apostrophes of contraction are used to signal missing letters

Recognise how quotation marks are used in texts to signal dialogue, titles and quoted (direct) speech

Understand how the grammatical category of possessives is signalled through apostrophes and how to use apostrophes with common and proper nouns

Understand the uses of commas to separate clauses

Concepts of print and screenThe different conventions that apply to how text is presented on a page or screen

Understand concepts about print and screen, including how books, film and simple digital texts work, and know some features of print, for example directionality

Understand concepts about print and screen, including how different types of texts are organised using page numbering, tables of content, headings and titles, navigation buttons, bars and links

Know some features of text organisation including page and screen layouts, alphabetical order, and different types of diagrams, for example timelines

Identify the features of online texts that enhance navigation

Identify features of online texts that enhance readability including text, navigation, links, graphics and layout

Investigate how the organisation of texts into chapters, headings, subheadings, home pages and sub pages for online texts and according to chronology or topic can be used to predict content and assist navigation

This sequence ends at Year 5

Version 3.020 January 2012

Sub Strand

Focus of thread within the sub-strand Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10

Lang

uage

Va

riatio

n an

d Ch

ange

Language variation and changeHow English varies according to context and purpose including cultural and historical contexts

Understand that different social and geographical dialects or accents are used in Australia in addition to Standard Australian English

Understand the way language evolves to reflect a changing world, particularly in response to the use of new technology for presenting texts and communicating

Understand the influence and impact that the English language has had on other languages or dialects and how English has been influenced in return

Understand that Standard Australian English is a living language within which the creation and loss of words and the evolution of usage is ongoing

Understand that Standard Australian English in its spoken and written forms has a history of evolution and change and continues to evolve

Lang

uage

for i

nter

actio

n

Language for social interactionsHow language used for different formal and informal social interactions is influenced by the purpose and audience

Understand that strategies for interaction become more complex and demanding as levels of formality and social distance increase

Understand how accents, styles of speech and idioms express and create personal and social identities

Understand how conventions of speech adopted by communities influence the identities of people in those communities

Understand that roles and relationships are developed and challenged through language and interpersonal skills

Understand how language use can have inclusive and exclusive social effects, and can empower or disempower people

Evaluative languageHow language is used to express opinions, and make evaluative judgments about people, places, things and texts

Understand the uses of objective and subjective language and bias

Understand how language is used to evaluate texts and how evaluations about a text can be substantiated by reference to the text and other sources

Understand how rhetorical devices are used to persuade and how different layers of meaning are developed through the use of metaphor, irony and parody

Investigate how evaluation can be expressed directly and indirectly using devices, for example allusion, evocative vocabulary and metaphor

Understand that people’s evaluations of texts are influenced by their value systems, the context and the purpose and mode of communication

Text

str

uctu

re a

nd o

rgan

isat

ion

Purpose audience and structures of different types of textsHow texts serve different purposes and how the structures of types of texts vary according to the text purpose

Understand how authors often innovate on text structures and play with language features to achieve particular aesthetic, humorous and persuasive purposes and effects

Understand and explain how the text structures and language features of texts become more complex in informative and persuasive texts and identify underlying structures such as taxonomies, cause and effect, and extended metaphors

Analyse how the text structures and language features of persuasive texts, including media texts, vary according to the medium and mode of communication

Understand that authors innovate with text structures and language for specific purposes and effects

Compare the purposes, text structures and language features of traditional and contemporary texts in different media

Text cohesionHow texts work as cohesive wholes through language features which link the parts of the text together, such as paragraphs, connectives, nouns and associated pronouns

Understand that cohesive links can be made in texts by omitting or replacing words

Understand that the coherence of more complex texts relies on devices that signal text structure and guide readers, for example overviews, initial and concluding paragraphs and topic sentences, indexes or site maps or breadcrumb trails for online texts

Understand how cohesion in texts is improved by strengthening the internal structure of paragraphs through the use of examples, quotations and substantiation of claims

Understand how coherence is created in complex texts through devices like lexical cohesion, ellipsis, grammatical theme and text connectives

Compare and contrast the use of cohesive devices in texts, focusing on how they serve to signpost ideas, to make connections and to build semantic associations between ideas

Understand how paragraphs and images can be arranged for different purposes, audiences, perspectives and stylistic effects

PunctuationHow punctuation works to perform different functions in a text.

Understand the uses of commas to separate clauses

Understand the use of punctuation to support meaning in complex sentences with phrases and embedded clauses

Understand the use of punctuation conventions including colons, semicolons, dashes and brackets in formal and informal texts

Understand how punctuation is used along with layout and font variations in constructing texts for different audiences and purposes

Understand conventions for citing others, and how to reference these in different ways

Concepts of print and screenThe different conventions that apply to how text is presented on a page or screen


English Scope and Sequence: Year 6 to Year 10


Sub Strand

Focus of thread within the sub-strand Foundation Year Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6

Expr

essi

ng a

nd d

evel

opin

g id

eas

Sentences and clause level grammarWhat a clause is and how simple, compound and complex sentences are constructed through one clause (simple) or by combining clauses using different types of conjunctions (compound and complex)

Recognise that sentences are key units for expressing ideas

Identify the parts of a simple sentence that represent ‘What’s happening?’, ‘Who or what is involved?’ and the surrounding circumstances

Understand that simple connections can be made between ideas by using a compound sentence with two or more clauses usually linked by a coordinating conjunction

Understand that a clause is a unit of grammar usually containing a subject and a verb and that these need to be in agreement

Understand that the meaning of sentences can be enriched through the use of noun groups/phrases and verb groups/phrases and prepositional phrases

Investigate how quoted (direct) and reported (indirect) speech work in different types of text

Understand the difference between main and subordinate clauses and that a complex sentence involves at least one subordinate clause

Investigate how complex sentences can be used in a variety of ways to elaborate, extend and explain ideas

Word level grammarThe different classes of words used in English (nouns, verbs etc) and the functions they perform in sentences and when they are combined in particular recognisable groups such as phrases and noun groups.

Recognise that texts are made up of words and groups of words that make meaning

Explore differences in words that represent people, places and things (nouns, including pronouns), happenings and states (verbs), qualities (adjectives) and details such as when, where and how (adverbs)

Understand that nouns represent people, places, things and ideas and can be, for example, common, proper, concrete or abstract, and that noun groups/phrases can be expanded using articles and adjectives

Understand that verbs represent different processes (doing, thinking, saying, and relating) and that these processes are anchored in time through tense

Understand how adverb groups/phrases and prepositional phrases work in different ways to provide circumstantial details about an activity

Understand how noun groups/phrases and adjective groups/phrases can be expanded in a variety of ways to provide a fuller description of the person, place, thing or idea

Understand how ideas can be expanded and sharpened through careful choice of verbs, elaborated tenses and a range of adverb groups/phrases

Visual languageHow images work in texts to communicate meanings, especially in conjunction with other elements such as print and sound

Explore the different contribution of words and images to meaning in stories and informative texts

Compare different kinds of images in narrative and informative texts and discuss how they contribute to meaning

Identify visual representations of characters’ actions, reactions, speech and thought processes in narratives, and consider how these images add to or contradict or multiply the meaning of accompanying words

Identify the effect on audiences of techniques, for example shot size, vertical camera angle and layout in picture books, advertisements and film segments

Explore the effect of choices when framing an image, placement of elements in the image, and salience on composition of still and moving images in a range of types of texts

Explain sequences of images in print texts and compare these to the ways hyperlinked digital texts are organised, explaining their effect on viewers’ interpretations

Identify and explain how analytical images like figures, tables, diagrams, maps and graphs contribute to our understanding of verbal information in factual and persuasive texts

VocabularyThe meanings of words including everyday and specialist meanings and how words take their meanings from the context of the text

Understand the use of vocabulary in familiar contexts related to everyday experiences, personal interests and topics being taught at school

Understand the use of vocabulary in everyday contexts as well as a growing number of school contexts, including appropriate use of formal and informal terms of address in different contexts

Understand the use of vocabulary about familiar and new topics and experiment with and begin to make conscious choices of vocabulary to suit audience and purpose

Learn extended and technical vocabulary and ways of expressing opinion including modal verbs and adverbs

Incorporate new vocabulary from a range of sources into students’ own texts including vocabulary encountered in research

Understand the use of vocabulary to express greater precision of meaning, and know that words can have different meanings in different contexts

Investigate how vocabulary choices, including evaluative language can express shades of meaning, feeling and opinion

SpellingKnowledge for spelling including knowledge about how the sounds of words are represented by various letters and knowledge of irregular spellings and spelling rules

Know that spoken sounds and words can be written down using letters of the alphabet and how to write some high-frequency sight words and known words

Know how to use onset and rime to spell words

Know that regular one-syllable words are made up of letters and common letter clusters that correspond to the sounds heard, and how to use visual memory to write high-frequency words

Recognise and know how to use morphemes in word families for example ‘play’ in ‘played’ and ‘playing’

Understand how to use digraphs, long vowels, blends and silent letters to spell words, and use morphemes and syllabification to break up simple words and use visual memory to write irregular words

Recognise common prefixes and suffixes and how they change a word’s meaning

Understand how to use sound–letter relationships and knowledge of spelling rules, compound words, prefixes, suffixes, morphemes and less common letter combinations, for example ‘tion’

Recognise high frequency sight words

Understand how to use strategies for spelling words, including spelling rules, knowledge of morphemic word families, spelling generalisations, and letter combinations including double letters

Recognise homophones and know how to use context to identify correct spelling

Understand how to use banks of known words, as well as word origins, prefixes and suffixes, to learn and spell new words

Recognise uncommon plurals, for example ‘foci’

Understand how to use banks of known words, word origins, base words, suffixes and prefixes, morphemes, spelling patterns and generalisations to learn and spell new words, for example technical words and words adopted from other languages

Soun

d an

d le

tter

kn

owle

dge

Phonemic awareness (sounds of language)Basic knowledge of sounds of language and how these are combined in spoken words

Recognise rhymes, syllables and sounds (phonemes) in spoken words

Manipulate sounds in spoken words including phoneme deletion and substitution

Recognise most sound–letter matches including silent letters, vowel/consonant digraphs and many less common sound–letter combinations


Alphabet knowledgeThe written code of English (the letters) and how these are combined in words

Recognise the letters of the alphabet and know there are lower and upper case letters

Recognise sound letter — matches including common vowel and consonant digraphs and consonant blends

Understand the variability of sound — letter matches


English Scope and Sequence: Foundation to Year 6


Sub Strand


Expr

essi

ng a

nd d

evel

opin

g id

eas

Sentences and clause level grammarWhat a clause is and how simple, compound and complex sentences are constructed through one clause (simple) or by combining clauses using different types of conjunctions (compound and complex)

Investigate how complex sentences can be used in a variety of ways to elaborate, extend and explain ideas

Recognise and understand that subordinate clauses embedded within noun groups/phrases are a common feature of written sentence structures and increase the density of information

Analyse and examine how effective authors control and use a variety of clause structures, including clauses embedded within the structure of a noun group/phrase or clause

Explain how authors creatively use the structures of sentences and clauses for particular effects

Analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of a wide range of sentence and clause structures as authors design and craft texts

Word level grammarThe different classes of words used in English (nouns, verbs etc) and the functions they perform in sentences and when they are combined in particular recognisable groups such as phrases and noun groups.

Understand how ideas can be expanded and sharpened through careful choice of verbs, elaborated tenses and a range of adverb groups/phrases

Understand how modality is achieved through discriminating choices in modal verbs, adverbs, adjectives and nouns

Understand the effect of nominalisation in the writing of informative and persuasive texts

Understand how certain abstract nouns can be used to summarise preceding or subsequent stretches of text

Analyse how higher order concepts are developed in complex texts through language features including nominalisation, clause combinations, technicality and abstraction

Visual languageHow images work in texts to communicate meanings, especially in conjunction with other elements such as print and sound

Identify and explain how analytical images like figures, tables, diagrams, maps and graphs contribute to our understanding of verbal information in factual and persuasive texts

Analyse how point of view is generated in visual texts by means of choices, for example gaze, angle and social distance

Investigate how visual and multimodal texts allude to or draw on other texts or images to enhance and layer meaning

Analyse and explain the use of symbols, icons and myth in still and moving images and how these augment meaning

Evaluate the impact on audiences of different choices in the representation of still and moving images

VocabularyThe meanings of words including everyday and specialist meanings and how words take their meanings from the context of the text

Investigate how vocabulary choices, including evaluative language can express shades of meaning, feeling and opinion

Investigate vocabulary typical of extended and more academic texts and the role of abstract nouns, classification, description and generalisation in building specialised knowledge through language

Recognise that vocabulary choices contribute to the specificity, abstraction and style of texts

Identify how vocabulary choices contribute to specificity, abstraction and stylistic effectiveness

Refine vocabulary choices to discriminate between shades of meaning, with deliberate attention to the effect on audiences

SpellingKnowledge for spelling including knowledge about how the sounds of words are represented by various letters and knowledge of irregular spellings and spelling rules

Understand how to use banks of known words, word origins, base words, suffixes and prefixes, morphemes, spelling patterns and generalisations to learn and spell new words, for example technical words and words adopted from other languages

Understand how to use spelling rules and word origins, for example Greek and Latin roots, base words, suffixes, prefixes, spelling patterns and generalisations to learn new words and how to spell them

Understand how to apply learned knowledge consistently in order to spell accurately and to learn new words including nominalisations

Understand how spelling is used creatively in texts for particular effects, for example characterisation and humour and to represent accents and styles of speech

Understand how to use knowledge of the spelling system to spell unusual and technical words accurately, for example those based on uncommon Greek and Latin roots

Soun

d an

d le

tter

kn

owle

dge

Phonemic awareness (sounds of language)Basic knowledge of sounds of language and how these are combined in spoken words


Alphabet knowledgeThe written code of English (the letters) and how these are combined in words


English Scope and Sequence: Year 6 to Year 10


Sub Strand


Lite

ratu

re a

nd c

onte

xtHow texts reflect the context of culture and situation in which they are created

Recognise that texts are created by authors who tell stories and share experiences that may be similar or different to students’ own experiences

Discuss how authors create characters using language and images

Discuss how depictions of characters in print, sound and images reflect the contexts in which they were created

Discuss texts in which characters, events and settings are portrayed in different ways, and speculate on the authors’ reasons

Make connections between the ways different authors may represent similar storylines, ideas and relationships

Identify aspects of literary texts that convey details or information about particular social, cultural and historical contexts

Make connections between students’ own experiences and those of characters and events represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts

Resp

ondi

ng to

lite

ratu

re

Personal responses to the ideas, characters and viewpoints in textsAn individual response to the ideas, characters and viewpoints in literary texts, including relating texts to their own experiences

Respond to texts, identifying favourite stories, authors and illustrators

Discuss characters and events in a range of literary texts and share personal responses to these texts, making connections with students’ own experiences

Compare opinions about characters, events and settings in and between texts

Draw connections between personal experiences and the worlds of texts, and share responses with others

Discuss literary experiences with others, sharing responses and expressing a point of view

Present a point of view about particular literary texts using appropriate metalanguage, and reflecting on the viewpoints of others

Analyse and evaluate similarities and differences in texts on similar topics, themes or plots

Expressing preferences and evaluating textsExpressing a personal preference for different texts and types of texts, and identifying the features of texts that influence personal preference

Share feelings and thoughts about the events and characters in texts

Express preferences for specific texts and authors and listen to the opinions of others

Identify aspects of different types of literary texts that entertain, and give reasons for personal preferences

Develop criteria for establishing personal preferences for literature

Use metalanguage to describe the effects of ideas, text structures and language features of literary texts

Use metalanguage to describe the effects of ideas, text structures and language features on particular audiences

Identify and explain how choices in language, for example modality, emphasis, repetition and metaphor, influence personal response to different texts

Literature English Scope and Sequence: Foundation to Year 6


Sub Strand


Lite

ratu

re a

nd c

onte

xtHow texts reflect the context of culture and situation in which they are created

Make connections between students’ own experiences and those of characters and events represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts

Identify and explore ideas and viewpoints about events, issues and characters represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts

Explore the ways that ideas and viewpoints in literary texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts may reflect or challenge the values of individuals and groups

Explore the interconnectedness of Country and Place, People, Identity and Culture in texts including those by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors

Interpret and compare how representations of people and culture in literary texts are drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts

Compare and evaluate a range of representations of individuals and groups in different historical, social and cultural contexts

Resp

ondi

ng to

lite

ratu

re

Personal responses to the ideas, characters and viewpoints in textsAn individual response to the ideas, characters and viewpoints in literary texts, including relating texts to own their own experiences

Analyse and evaluate similarities and differences in texts on similar topics, themes or plots

Reflect on ideas and opinions about characters, settings and events in literary texts, identifying areas of agreement and difference with others and justifying a point of view

Share, reflect on, clarify and evaluate opinions and arguments about aspects of literary texts

Present an argument about a literary text based on initial impressions and subsequent analysis of the whole text

Reflect on, extend, endorse or refute others’ interpretations of and responses to literature

Expressing preferences and evaluating textsExpressing a personal preference for different texts and types of texts, and identifying the features of texts that influence personal preference

Identify and explain how choices in language, for example modality, emphasis, repetition and metaphor influence personal response to different texts

Compare the ways that language and images are used to create character, and to influence emotions and opinions in different types of texts

Discuss aspects of texts, for example their aesthetic and social value, using relevant and appropriate metalanguage

Understand and explain how combinations of words and images in texts are used to represent particular groups in society, and how texts position readers in relation to those groups

Recognise and explain differing viewpoints about the world, cultures, individual people and concerns represented in texts

Reflect on, discuss and explore notions of literary value and how and why such notions vary according to context

Explore and reflect on personal understanding of the world and significant human experience gained from interpreting various representations of life matters in texts

Analyse and explain how text structures, language features and visual features of texts and the context in which texts are experienced may influence audience response

Evaluate the social, moral and ethical positions represented in texts

Literature English Scope and Sequence: Year 6 to Year 10


Sub Strand


Exam

inin

g lit

erat

ure

Features of literary textsThe key features of literary texts and how they work to construct a literary work, such as plot, setting, characterisation, mood and theme

Identify some features of texts including events and characters and retell events from a text

Recognise some different types of literary texts and identify some characteristic features of literary texts, for example beginnings and endings of traditional texts and rhyme in poetry

Discuss features of plot, character and setting in different types of literature and explore some features of characters in different texts

Discuss the characters and settings of different texts and explore how language is used to present these features in different ways

Discuss how language is used to describe the settings in texts, and explore how the settings shape the events and influence the mood of the narrative

Discuss how authors and illustrators make stories exciting, moving and absorbing and hold readers’ interest by using various techniques, for example character development and plot tension

Recognise that ideas in literary texts can be conveyed from different viewpoints, which can lead to different kinds of interpretations and responses

Identify, describe, and discuss similarities and differences between texts, including those by the same author or illustrator, and evaluate characteristics that define an author’s individual style

Language devices in literary texts including figurative languageThe language devices that authors use and how these create certain meanings and effects in literary texts, especially devices in poetry

Replicate the rhythms and sound patterns in stories, rhymes, songs and poems from a range of cultures

Listen to, recite and perform poems, chants, rhymes and songs, imitating and inventing sound patterns including alliteration and rhyme

Identify, reproduce and experiment with rhythmic, sound and word patterns in poems, chants, rhymes and songs

Discuss the nature and effects of some language devices used to enhance meaning and shape the reader’s reaction, including rhythm and onomatopoeia in poetry and prose

Understand, interpret and experiment with a range of devices and deliberate word play in poetry and other literary texts, for example nonsense words, spoonerisms, neologisms and puns

Understand, interpret and experiment with sound devices and imagery, including simile, metaphor and personification, in narratives, shape poetry, songs, anthems and odes

Identify the relationship between words, sounds, imagery and language patterns in narratives and poetry such as ballads, limericks and free verse

Crea

ting

liter

atur

e

Creating literary textsCreating their own literary texts based on the ideas, features and structures of texts experienced

Retell familiar literary texts through performance, use of illustrations and images

Recreate texts imaginatively using drawing, writing, performance and digital forms of communication

Create events and characters using different media that develop key events and characters from literary texts

Create imaginative texts based on characters, settings and events from a students’ own and other cultures using visual features, for example perspective, distance and angle

Create literary texts that explore students’ own experiences and imagining

Create literary texts using realistic and fantasy settings and characters that draw on the worlds represented in texts students have experienced

Create literary texts that adapt or combine aspects of texts students have experienced in innovative ways

Experimentation and adaptationCreating a variety of texts, including multimodal texts, adapting ideas and devices from literary texts

This sequence starts at this year level Create texts that adapt language features and patterns encountered in literary texts, for example characterisation, rhyme, rhythm, mood, music, sound effects and dialogue

Create literary texts by developing storylines, characters and settings

Create literary texts that experiment with structures, ideas and stylistic features of selected authors

Experiment with text structures and language features and their effects in creating literary texts, for example, using imagery, sentence variation, metaphor and word choice

Literature English Scope and Sequence: Foundation to Year 6


Literature English Scope and Sequence: Year 6 to Year 10Sub


within the sub-strand Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10Ex

amin

ing

liter

atur

eFeatures of literary textsThe key features of literary texts and how they work to construct a literary work, such as plot, setting, characterisation, mood and theme

Identify, describe, and discuss similarities and differences between texts, including those by the same author or illustrator, and evaluate characteristics that define an author’s individual style

Recognise and analyse the ways that characterisation, events and settings are combined in narratives, and discuss the purposes and appeal of different approaches

Recognise, explain and analyse the ways literary texts draw on readers’ knowledge of other texts and enable new understandings and appreciation of aesthetic qualities

Analyse texts from familiar and unfamiliar contexts, and discuss and evaluate their content and the appeal of an individual author’s literary style

Identify, explain and discuss how narrative viewpoint, structure, characterisation and devices including analogy and satire shape different interpretations and responses to a text

Language devices in literary texts including figurative languageThe language devices that authors use and how these create certain meanings and effects in literary texts, especially devices in poetry

Identify the relationship between words, sounds, imagery and language patterns in narratives and poetry such as ballads, limericks and free verse

Understand, interpret and discuss how language is compressed to produce a dramatic effect in film or drama, and to create layers of meaning in poetry, for example haiku, tankas, couplets, free verse and verse novels

Identify and evaluate devices that create tone, for example humour, wordplay, innuendo and parody in poetry, humorous prose, drama or visual texts

Interpret and analyse language choices, including sentence patterns, dialogue, imagery and other language features, in short stories, literary essays and plays

Investigate and experiment with the use and effect of extended metaphor, metonymy, allegory, icons, myths and symbolism in texts, for example poetry, short films, graphic novels and plays on similar themes

Analyse text structures and language features of literary texts, and make relevant comparisons with other texts

Compare and evaluate how ‘voice’ as a literary device can be used in a range of different types of texts such as poetry to evoke particular emotional responses

Analyse and evaluate text structures and language features of literary texts and make relevant thematic and intertextual connections with other texts

Crea

ting

liter

atur

e

Creating literary texts

Creating their own literary texts based on the ideas, features and structures of texts experienced

Create literary texts that adapt or combine aspects of texts students have experienced in innovative ways

Create literary texts that adapt stylistic features encountered in other texts, for example, narrative viewpoint, structure of stanzas, contrast and juxtaposition

Create literary texts that draw upon text structures and language features of other texts for particular purposes and effects

Create literary texts, including hybrid texts, that innovate on aspects of other texts, for example by using parody, allusion and appropriation

Create literary texts that reflect an emerging sense of personal style and evaluate the effectiveness of these texts

Experimentation and adaptation

Creating a variety of texts, including multimodal texts, adapting ideas and devices from literary texts

Experiment with text structures and language features and their effects in creating literary texts, for example, using imagery, sentence variation, metaphor and word choice

Experiment with text structures and language features and their effects in creating literary texts, for example, using rhythm, sound effects, monologue, layout, navigation and colour

Experiment with particular language features drawn from different types of texts, including combinations of language and visual choices to create new texts

Experiment with the ways that language features, image and sound can be adapted in literary texts, for example the effects of stereotypical characters and settings, the playfulness of humour and comedy, pun and hyperlink

Create literary texts with a sustained ‘voice’, selecting and adapting appropriate text structures, literary devices, language, auditory and visual structures and features and for a specific purpose and intended audience

Create imaginative texts that make relevant thematic and intertextual connections with other texts

Version 3.0 20 January 2012

Literacy English Scope and Sequence: Foundation to Year 6Sub


within the sub-strand Foundation Year Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6Te

xts

in

cont

ext

Texts and the contexts in which they are usedHow texts relate to their contexts and reflect the society and culture in which they were created

Identify some familiar texts and the contexts in which they are used

Respond to texts drawn from a range of cultures and experiences

Discuss different texts on a similar topic, identifying similarities and differences between the texts

Identify the point of view in a text and suggest alternative points of view

Identify and explain language features of texts from earlier times and compare with the vocabulary, images, layout and content of contemporary texts

Show how ideas and points of view in texts are conveyed through the use of vocabulary, including idiomatic expressions, objective and subjective language, and that these can change according to context

Compare texts including media texts that represent ideas and events in different ways, explaining the effects of the different approaches

Inte

ract

ing

with

oth

ers

Listening and speaking interactionsThe purposes and contexts through which students engage in listening and speaking interactions

Listen to and respond orally to texts and to the communication of others in informal and structured classroom situations

Engage in conversations and discussions, using active listening behaviours, showing interest, and contributing ideas, information and questions

Listen for specific purposes and information, including instructions, and extend students’ own and others’ ideas in discussions

Listen to and contribute to conversations and discussions to share information and ideas and negotiate in collaborative situations

Interpret ideas and information in spoken texts and listen for key points in order to carry out tasks and use information to share and extend ideas and information

Clarify understanding of content as it unfolds in formal and informal situations, connecting ideas to students’ own experiences and present and justify a point of view

Participate in and contribute to discussions, clarifying and interrogating ideas, developing and supporting arguments, sharing and evaluating information, experiences and opinions

Listening and speaking interactionsThe skills students use when engaging in listening and speaking interactions

Use interaction skills including listening while others speak, using appropriate voice levels, articulation and body language, gestures and eye contact

Use interaction skills including turn-taking, recognising the contributions of others, speaking clearly and using appropriate volume and pace

Use interaction skills including initiating topics, making positive statements and voicing disagreement in an appropriate manner, speaking clearly and varying tone, volume and pace appropriately

Use interaction skills, including active listening behaviours and communicate in a clear, coherent manner using a variety of everyday and learned vocabulary and appropriate tone, pace, pitch and volume

Use interaction skills such as acknowledging another’s point of view and linking students’ response to the topic, using familiar and new vocabulary and a range of vocal effects such as tone, pace, pitch and volume to speak clearly and coherently

Use interaction skills, for example paraphrasing, questioning and interpreting non-verbal cues and choose vocabulary and vocal effects appropriate for different audiences and purposes

Use interaction skills, varying conventions of spoken interactions such as voice volume, tone, pitch and pace, according to group size, formality of interaction and needs and expertise of the audience

Oral presentationsThe formal oral presentations that students engage in including presenting recounts and information, and presenting and arguing a point of view

Deliver short oral presentations to peers

Make short presentations using some introduced text structures and language, for example opening statements

Rehearse and deliver short presentations on familiar and new topics

Plan and deliver short presentations, providing some key details in logical sequence

Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations incorporating learned content and taking into account the particular purposes and audiences

Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations for defined audiences and purposes incorporating accurate and sequenced content and multimodal elements

Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations selecting and sequencing appropriate content and multimodal elements for defined audiences and purposes, making appropriate choices for modality and emphasis


Literacy English Scope and Sequence: Year 6 to Year 10Sub


within the sub-strand Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10Te

xts

in

cont

ext

Texts and the contexts in which they are usedHow texts relate to their contexts and reflect the society and culture in which they were created

Compare texts including media texts that represent ideas and events in different ways, explaining the effects of the different approaches

Analyse and explain the effect of technological innovations on texts, particularly media texts

Analyse and explain how language has evolved over time and how technology and the media have influenced language use and forms of communication

Analyse how the construction and interpretation of texts, including media texts, can be influenced by cultural perspectives and other texts

Analyse and evaluate how people, cultures, places, events, objects and concepts are represented in texts, including media texts, through language, structural and/or visual choices

Inte

ract

ing

with

oth

ers

Listening and speaking interactionsThe purposes and contexts through which students engage in listening and speaking interactions

Participate in and contribute to discussions, clarifying and interrogating ideas, developing and supporting arguments, sharing and evaluating information, experiences and opinions

Identify and discuss main ideas, concepts and points of view in spoken texts to evaluate qualities, for example the strength of an argument or the lyrical power of a poetic rendition

Interpret the stated and implied meanings in spoken texts, and use evidence to support or challenge different perspectives

Listen to spoken texts constructed for different purposes, for example to entertain and to persuade, and analyse how language features of these texts position listeners to respond in particular ways

Identify and explore the purposes and effects of different text structures and language features of spoken texts, and use this knowledge to create purposeful texts that inform, persuade and engage

Listening and speaking interactionsThe skills students use when engaging in listening and speaking interactions

Use interaction skills, varying conventions of spoken interactions such as voice volume, tone, pitch and pace, according to group size, formality of interaction and needs and expertise of the audience

Use interaction skills when discussing and presenting ideas and information, selecting body language, voice qualities and other elements, (for example music and sound) to add interest and meaning

Use interaction skills for identified purposes, using voice and language conventions to suit different situations, selecting vocabulary, modulating voice and using elements such as music, images and sound for specific effects

Use interaction skills to present and discuss an idea and to influence and engage an audience by selecting persuasive language, varying voice tone, pitch, and pace, and using elements such as music and sound effects

Use organisation patterns, voice and language conventions to present a point of view on a subject, speaking clearly, coherently and with effect, using logic, imagery and rhetorical devices to engage audiences

Oral presentationsThe formal oral presentations that students engage in including presenting recounts and information, and presenting and arguing a point of view

Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations selecting and sequencing appropriate content and multimodal elements for defined audiences and purposes, making appropriate choices for modality and emphasis

Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, selecting and sequencing appropriate content and multimodal elements to promote a point of view or enable a new way of seeing

Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, selecting and sequencing appropriate content, including multimodal elements, to reflect a diversity of viewpoints

Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, selecting and sequencing appropriate content and multimodal elements for aesthetic and playful purposes

Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations selecting and sequencing appropriate content and multimodal elements to influence a course of action


Literacy English Scope and Sequence: Foundation to Year 6Sub


within the sub-strand Foundation Year Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6In

terp

retin

g, a

naly

sing

, eva

luat

ing

Purpose and audienceRecognising and analysing differences between different types of texts

Identify some differences between imaginative and informative texts

Describe some differences between imaginative informative and persuasive texts

Identify the audience of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts

Identify the audience and purpose of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts

Identify characteristic features used in imaginative, informative and persuasive texts to meet the purpose of the text

Identify and explain characteristic text structures and language features used in imaginative, informative and persuasive texts to meet the purpose of the text

Analyse how text structures and language features work together to meet the purpose of a text

Reading processesStrategies for using and combining contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge to decode texts including predicting, monitoring, cross-checking, self-correcting, skimming and scanning

Read predictable texts, practicing phrasing and fluency, and monitor meaning using concepts about print and emerging contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge

Read supportive texts using developing phrasing, fluency, contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge and emerging text processing strategies, for example prediction, monitoring meaning and rereading

Read less predictable texts with phrasing and fluency by combining contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge using text processing strategies, for example monitoring meaning, predicting, rereading and self-correcting

Read an increasing range of different types of texts by combining contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge, using text processing strategies, for example monitoring, predicting, confirming, rereading, reading on and self correcting

Read different types of texts by combining contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge using text processing strategies, for example monitoring meaning, cross checking and reviewing

Navigate and read texts for specific purposes applying appropriate text processing strategies, for example predicting and confirming, monitoring meaning, skimming and scanning

Select, navigate and read texts for a range of purposes applying appropriate text processing strategies and interpreting structural features, for example table of contents, glossary, chapters, headings and subheadings

Comprehension strategiesStrategies of constructing meaning from texts, including literal and inferential meaning

Use comprehension strategies to understand and discuss texts listened to, viewed or read independently

Use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning about key events, ideas and information in texts that they listen to, view and read by drawing on growing knowledge of context, text structures and language features

Use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning and begin to analyse texts by drawing on growing knowledge of context, language and visual features and print and multimodal text structures

Use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning and begin to evaluate texts by drawing on growing knowledge of context, text structures and language features

Use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning to expand content knowledge, integrating and linking ideas and analysing and evaluating texts

Use comprehension strategies to analyse information, integrating and linking ideas from a variety of print and digital sources

Use comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse information and ideas, comparing content from a variety of textual sources including media and digital texts

Analysing and evaluating textsAnalysis and evaluation of how text structures and language features construct meaning and influence readers/viewers

This sequence starts at this year level Analyse strategies authors use to influence readers

Crea

ting

text

s

Creating textsCreating different types of spoken, written and multimodal texts using knowledge of text structures and language features

Create short texts to explore, record and report ideas and events using familiar words and phrases and beginning writing knowledge

Create short imaginative and information texts that show emerging use of appropriate text structure, sentence-level grammar, word choice, spelling, punctuation and appropriate multimodal elements, for example illustrations and diagrams

Create short imaginative, informative and persuasive texts using growing knowledge of text structures and language features for familiar and some less familiar audiences, selecting print and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purpose

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features and selecting print, and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purpose

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts containing key information and supporting details for a widening range of audiences, demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive print and multimodal texts, choosing text structures, language features, images and sound appropriate to purpose and audience

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience

EditingEditing texts for meaning, structure and grammatical features

Participate in shared editing of students’ own texts for meaning, spelling, capital letters and full stops

Reread student’s own texts and discuss possible changes to improve meaning, spelling and punctuation

Reread and edit text for spelling, sentence-boundary punctuation and text structure

Reread and edit texts for meaning, appropriate structure, grammatical choices and punctuation

Reread and edit for meaning by adding, deleting or moving words or word groups to improve content and structure

Reread and edit student’s own and others’ work using agreed criteria for text structures and language features

Reread and edit students’ own and others’ work using agreed criteria and explaining editing choices

HandwritingDeveloping a fluent, legible handwriting style, beginning with unjoined letters and moving to joined handwriting

Produce some lower case and upper case letters using learned letter formations

Write using unjoined lower case and upper case letters

Write legibly and with growing fluency using unjoined upper case and lower case letters

Write using joined letters that are clearly formed and consistent in size

Write using clearly-formed joined letters, and develop increased fluency and automaticity

Develop a handwriting style that is becoming legible, fluent and automatic

Develop a handwriting style that is legible, fluent and automatic and varies according to audience and purpose

Use of softwareUsing a range of software applications to construct and edit print and multimodal texts

Construct texts using software including word processing programs

Construct texts that incorporate supporting images using software including word processing programs

Construct texts featuring print, visual and audio elements using software, including word processing programs

Use software including word processing programs with growing speed and efficiency to construct and edit texts featuring visual, print and audio elements

Use a range of software including word processing programs to construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements

Use a range of software including word processing programs with fluency to construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements

Use a range of software, including word processing programs, learning new functions as required to create texts


Literacy English Scope and Sequence: Year 6 to Year 10Sub


within the sub-strand Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10In

terp

retin

g, a

naly

sing

, eva

luat

ing

Purpose and audienceRecognising and analysing differences between different types of texts

Analyse how text structures and language features work together to meet the purpose of a text

Analyse and explain the ways text structures and language features shape meaning and vary according to audience and purpose

Analyse and evaluate the ways that text structures and language features vary according to the purpose of the text and the ways that referenced sources add authority to a text

Interpret, analyse and evaluate how different perspectives of an issue, event, situation, individuals or groups are constructed to serve specific purposes in texts

Identify and analyse implicit or explicit values, beliefs and assumptions in texts and how these are influenced by purposes and likely audiences

Reading processesStrategies for using and combining contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge to decode texts including predicting, monitoring, cross-checking, self-correcting, skimming and scanning

Select, navigate and read texts for a range of purposes applying appropriate text processing strategies and interpreting structural features, for example table of contents, glossary, chapters, headings and subheadings

Use prior knowledge and text processing strategies to interpret a range of types of texts.

Apply increasing knowledge of vocabulary, text structures and language features to understand the content of texts

Apply an expanding vocabulary to read increasingly complex texts with fluency and comprehension

Choose a reading technique and reading path appropriate for the type of text, to retrieve and connect ideas within and between texts

Comprehension strategiesStrategies of constructing meaning from texts, including literal and inferential meaning

Use comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse information and ideas comparing content from a variety of textual sources including media and digital texts

Use comprehension strategies to interpret, analyse and synthesise ideas and information, critiquing ideas and issues from a variety of textual sources

Use comprehension strategies to interpret and evaluate texts by reflecting on the validity of content and the credibility of sources, including finding evidence in the text for the author’s point of view

Use comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse texts, comparing and evaluating representations of an event, issue, situation or character in different texts

Use comprehension strategies to compare and contrast information within and between texts, identifying and analysing embedded perspectives, and evaluating supporting evidence

Analysing and evaluating textsAnalysis and evaluation of how text structures and language features construct meaning and influence readers/viewers

Analyse strategies authors use to influence readers

Compare the text structures and language features of multimodal texts, explaining how they combine to influence audiences

Explore and explain the ways authors combine different modes and media in creating texts, and the impact of these choices on the viewer/listener

Explore and explain the combinations of language and visual choices that authors make to present information, opinions and perspectives in different texts

Crea

ting

text

s

Creating textsCreating different types of spoken, written and multimodal texts using knowledge of text structures and language features

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts selecting aspects of subject matter and particular language, visual, and audio features to convey information and ideas

Create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts that raise issues, report events, and advance opinions, using deliberate language and textual choices, and including digital elements as appropriate

Create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts that present a point of view and advance or illustrate arguments, including texts that integrate visual, print and/or audio features

Create sustained texts, including texts that combine specific digital or media content, for imaginative, informative, or persuasive purposes, and that reflect upon challenging and complex issues

EditingEditing texts for meaning, structure and grammatical features

Reread and edit their students’ own and others’ work using agreed criteria and explaining editing choices

Edit for meaning by removing repetition, refining ideas, reordering sentences and adding or substituting words for impact

Experiment with text structures and language features to refine and clarify ideas to improve the effectiveness of students’ own texts

Review and edit students’ own and others’ texts to improve clarity and control over content, organisation, paragraphing, sentence structure, vocabulary and audio/visual features.

Review, edit and refine students’ own and others’ texts for control of content, organisation, sentence structure, vocabulary, and/or visual features, to achieve particular purposes and effects

HandwritingDeveloping a fluent, legible handwriting style, beginning with unjoined letters and moving to joined handwriting

Develop a handwriting style that is legible, fluent and automatic and varies according to audience and purpose

Consolidate a personal handwriting style that is legible, fluent and automatic and supports writing for extended periods

This sequence ends at this year level

Use of softwareUsing a range of software applications to construct and edit print and multimodal texts

Use a range of software, including word processing programs, learning new functions as required to create texts

Use a range of software, including word processing programs, to confidently create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts.

Use a range of software, including word processing programs to create, edit and publish texts imaginatively

Use a range of software, including word processing programs, flexibly and imaginatively to publish texts

Use a range of software, including word processing programs, confidently, flexibly and imaginatively to publish texts, considering the identified purpose and the characteristics of the user


General Capabilities

in the Australian Curriculum

January 2013

www.acara.edu.au

General Capabilities in the Australian Curriculum - January 2013 2

Contents Overview ........................................................................................................................................... 2

Literacy .............................................................................................................................................. 9

Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 9

Organising elements ............................................................................................................. 14

Literacy continuum ................................................................................................................ 18

Numeracy ........................................................................................................................................ 31

Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 31


Numeracy continuum ............................................................................................................ 39

Information and communication technology (ICT) capability .......................................................... 49

Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 49


ICT continuum ....................................................................................................................... 55

Critical and creative thinking ........................................................................................................... 66

Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 66


Critical and creative thinking continuum ............................................................................... 74

Personal and social capability ......................................................................................................... 82

Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 82


Personal and social capability continuum ............................................................................. 89

Ethical understanding.................................................................................................................... 100

Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 100

Organising elements ........................................................................................................... 104

Ethical understanding continuum ........................................................................................ 106

Intercultural understanding ........................................................................................................... 111

Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 111

Organising elements ........................................................................................................... 116

Intercultural understanding continuum ................................................................................ 118


Overview

General capabilities in the Australian Curriculum

General capabilities, a key dimension of the Australian Curriculum, are addressed explicitly in the content of the learning areas. They play a significant role in realising the goals set out in the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA 2008) – that all young people in Australia should be supported to become successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens.

The Melbourne Declaration identifies essential skills for twenty-first century learners – in literacy, numeracy, information and communication technology (ICT), thinking, creativity, teamwork and communication. It describes individuals who can manage their own wellbeing, relate well to others, make informed decisions about their lives, become citizens who behave with ethical integrity, relate to and communicate across cultures, work for the common good and act with responsibility at local, regional and global levels.

The general capabilities encompass the knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that, together with curriculum content in each learning area and the cross-curriculum priorities, will assist students to live and work successfully in the twenty-first century. They complement the key learning outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework (COAG 2009) – that children have a strong sense of identity and wellbeing, are connected with and contribute to their world, are confident and involved learners and effective communicators.

The Australian Curriculum includes seven general capabilities:

• Literacy • Numeracy • Information and communication technology (ICT) capability • Critical and creative thinking • Personal and social capability • Ethical understanding • Intercultural understanding.

General capabilities in the Australian Curriculum


General capabilities materials for schools and teachers

These materials are presented as a resource to help teachers:

• develop a shared understanding of the nature, scope and sequence of the general capabilities in the Australian Curriculum

• confirm their understanding of intended learning wherever general capabilities are identified in learning area content descriptions and elaborations

• plan for and guide students’ development of the general capabilities in school and classroom learning programs.

Development of the general capabilities materials

First published in 2010 and revised in 2011 following a national consultation process, the general capabilities materials were developed to inform the writing of learning area curriculum (Foundation to Year 10) and to ensure the strong and coherent inclusion of the general capabilities in the Australian Curriculum.

They were developed by writing teams with expertise in the particular capabilities, together with advice from the General Capabilities Advisory Group, academics, focus groups of teachers and curriculum experts from state and territory education authorities. The materials build on significant state and territory initiatives and practice, and are informed by national and international research.

More recently, general capabilities materials have been further developed to assist schools and teachers in understanding the general capabilities in the Australian Curriculum and in supporting the individual learning needs of diverse learners. This work includes the extension of all learning continua from three to six levels in ICT capability, Personal and social capability, Ethical understanding and Intercultural understanding. In Literacy an additional four levels and in Numeracy an additional two levels have been included at Level 1 to address learning in the early years and to maximise the curriculum’s flexibility for all students, assisting teachers to cater for student diversity and personalise learning. For more detailed information go to Student Diversity.

Work associated with general capabilities is ongoing. Future work includes:

• verification of the extended learning continua in schools

• monitoring and review of the materials as additional learning areas are developed and approved by Ministers for implementation in schools

• investigating whether there is a need to further extend other capability learning continua to better reflect the learning needs of all students

• revision of the ICT capability in conjunction with the development of the Australian Curriculum: Technologies

• following completion of all learning area curriculum, a review of the extent to which general capabilities have been addressed in the Australian Curriculum.

http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/student_diversity/student_diversity.html


Teaching and assessment of general capabilities

Teachers are expected to teach and assess general capabilities to the extent that they are incorporated within each learning area.

State and territory school authorities will determine whether and how student learning of the general capabilities will be further assessed and reported.

For some students, it may be necessary to adjust the levels of complexity and the processes they use to develop capabilities. However, the role and place of general capabilities in the Australian Curriculum remain the same for all students.

Nature of general capabilities

In the Australian Curriculum ‘capability’ encompasses knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions. Students develop capability when they apply knowledge and skills confidently, effectively and appropriately in complex and changing circumstances, both in their learning at school and in their lives outside school. The encouragement of positive behaviours and dispositions underpins all general capabilities. Within individual capabilities, specific behaviours and dispositions have been identified and incorporated into each learning continuum as appropriate.

General capabilities comprise an integrated and interconnected set of knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that students develop and use in their learning across the curriculum, in co-curricular programs and in their lives outside school.

While each of the capabilities covers a particular body of learning, it should be noted that some knowledge, skills, dispositions and behaviours are shared across capabilities. In some cases, a particular aspect of one capability is covered in another, for example, the application of social and ethical protocols in the use of digital technologies is included in ICT capability, and effective communication in social interactions is included in Personal and social capability. In other cases, to avoid undue repetition, some aspects common to several capabilities are identified in the capability where the strongest representation occurs, for example, empathy is identified in Intercultural understanding even though it is also an important aspect of Personal and social capability.

When combined in learning area contexts, general capabilities enhance and complement each other. For example, students require Literacy skills and ICT capability to communicate effectively across all learning areas. They apply Intercultural understanding and Personal and social capability when they challenge stereotypes and prejudice in texts and interactions with others.

It is important to recognise that the capabilities are intended to be ‘general’ and operate across the whole curriculum. More ‘specialised’ knowledge and skills will be detailed in learning areas, particularly in relation to literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology.

Students in Australian schools bring different world views, histories and abilities to their learning. This means that some aspects of the capabilities may be interpreted and enacted in different ways. For example, the world views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples inform Personal and social capability by drawing on responsibilities and relationships within cultural knowledge systems that connect the personal, through kin and community, to land, sky and waterways.


General capabilities in the learning areas

In the Australian Curriculum, general capabilities are addressed through the learning areas and are identified wherever they are developed or applied in content descriptions. They are also identified where they offer opportunities to add depth and richness to student learning in content elaborations.

Icons (as shown below) indicate where general capabilities have been identified in learning area content descriptions and elaborations. Users can also see which capability elements are addressed in the content description by selecting the capability icon. A filter function on the Australian Curriculum website assists users to identify F–10 curriculum content where a capability has been identified.

Teachers may find further opportunities to incorporate explicit teaching of general capabilities depending on their choice of activities and the individual learning needs of their students. Students can also be encouraged to develop capabilities through personally relevant initiatives of their own design.

Literacy

Numeracy

ICT capability

Critical and creative thinking

Personal and social capability


Intercultural understanding

Each learning area includes a brief description of the general capabilities that have been explicitly included in the content or advice about those general capabilities that could be developed through particular teaching contexts.

• General capabilities in English (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/General-capabilities)

• General capabilities in Mathematics (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Mathematics/General-capabilities)

• General capabilities in Science (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Science/General-capabilities)

• General capabilities in History (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/History/General-capabilities)

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/General-capabilities


http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Mathematics/General-capabilities


http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Science/General-capabilities


http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/History/General-capabilities



Many capabilities find ‘natural homes’ in specific learning areas (for example, Literacy in English, Numeracy in Mathematics, ICT capability in Technologies, Personal and social capability in Health and Physical Education and English, and Intercultural understanding in Languages. Many of the foundational capability knowledge and skills are likely to be taught most explicitly in these learning areas, and applied, adapted, strengthened and extended in other learning areas.

General capabilities are represented to different degrees in each of the learning areas. Literacy, Numeracy, ICT capability, and Critical and creative thinking are fundamental in students becoming successful learners. While the primary development of Literacy, Numeracy and ICT capability is based in English, Mathematics and Technologies respectively, the development and application of these capabilities across the curriculum is essential to effective teaching and learning. Further information about the relationships between English/ Literacy, Mathematics/ Numeracy and Technologies/ ICT capability in the Australian Curriculum is provided in the introductions to relevant capabilities.

Personal and social capability, Ethical understanding and Intercultural understanding focus on ways of being and behaving, and learning to live with others, and are more strongly represented in some learning areas than in others Though all learning involves some personal and social dimensions, these capabilities are most evident wherever personal, social and cultural learning is highlighted.

In these capabilities in the early years, learning is often described in broad terms, as this is where foundational knowledge and skills are developed, for example, in Intercultural understanding descriptions refer to fundamental concepts related to personal identity and belonging rather than to specific cultural knowledge as these concepts underpin personal dimensions of intercultural understanding

Structure of the materials

The materials for each general capability are in three parts:

• an introduction that describes the nature and scope of the capability, its place in the learning areas and its evidence base

• organising elements that underpin a learning continuum

• a learning continuum that describes the knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that students can reasonably be expected to have developed at particular stages of schooling.

Learning continua

The general capabilities are presented as learning continua or sequences that describe the knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that students can reasonably be expected to have developed by the end of particular years of schooling.

The learning continua are based on the belief that students need opportunities to develop capabilities over time and across learning areas. What is learned in the early years supports all subsequent learning. The learning continua assume it is possible to map common paths for general capability development while recognising that each student’s pace of development may be influenced by factors such as their prior experience, sense of self in the world and cognitive capacity.


Capability descriptions include general examples and learning area examples that illustrate ways each general capability has been addressed in specific learning area content descriptions. These can be accessed online by selecting examples at the end of each capability description. As each learning area is published, further examples will be added to illustrate how general capabilities are addressed in that learning area.

All learning continua typically, but not exclusively, align with years of schooling. Stages in each learning continuum are labelled from Levels 1 to 6 to emphasise that the continuum presents a sequence of learning independent of student age. An accompanying statement indicates that the level typically applies to students by the end of a given year of schooling. to show the relationship with learning area content descriptions. .

For Literacy, Level 1 is divided into five sub-levels — Level 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d and 1e. Levels 1a-1d represent the development of early literacy skills with a particular emphasis on communication. Level 1a begins with unintentional communication progressing to intentional symbolic communication at Level 1d. Level 1e begins to focus on the application of literacy skills.

For Numeracy, Level 1 is divided into two sub-levels — Level 1a and 1b to represent the progression from early numeracy to numeracy skills. Level 1a has a particular emphasis on the language of numeracy in everyday contexts and Level 1b an emphasis on the application of numeracy skills. Level 1a assumes students are able to communicate with intent.

Each learning continuum is available online in two views:

• the first shows expected learning across the levels in a table format

• the second shows expected learning for each level in turn, in text format.


Literacy

Introduction

In the Australian Curriculum, students become literate as they develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions to interpret and use language confidently for learning and communicating in and out of school and for participating effectively in society. Literacy involves students in listening to, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating oral, print, visual and digital texts, and using and modifying language for different purposes in a range of contexts.

The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA 2008) recognises literacy as an essential skill for students in becoming successful learners and as a foundation for success in all learning areas. Success in any learning area depends on being able to use the significant, identifiable and distinctive literacy that is important for learning and representative of the content of that learning area.

Scope of the Literacy capability

Literacy encompasses the knowledge and skills students need to access, understand, analyse and evaluate information, make meaning, express thoughts and emotions, present ideas and opinions, interact with others and participate in activities at school and in their lives beyond school.

Becoming literate is not simply about knowledge and skills. Certain behaviours and dispositions assist students to become effective learners who are confident and motivated to use their literacy skills broadly. Many of these behaviours and dispositions are also identified and supported in other general capabilities. They include students managing their own learning to be self-sufficient; working harmoniously with others; being open to ideas, opinions and texts from and about diverse cultures; returning to tasks to improve and enhance their work; and being prepared to question the meanings and assumptions in texts.

For a description of the organising elements for Literacy, go to Organising elements.

Literacy across the curriculum

Literacy presents those aspects of the Language and Literacy strands of the English curriculum that should also be applied in all other learning areas. It is not a separate component of the Australian Curriculum and does not contain new content. In some instances in the Literacy learning continuum, examples or more explanation have been included to show how aspects of the Language and Literacy strands of the English curriculum function in other learning areas.

While much of the explicit teaching of literacy occurs in the English learning area, it is strengthened, made specific and extended in other learning areas as students engage in a range of learning activities with significant literacy demands. These literacy-rich situations are a part of learning in all curriculum areas. Paying attention to the literacy demands of each learning area ensures that students’ literacy development is strengthened so that it supports subject-based learning. This means that:

• all teachers are responsible for teaching the subject-specific literacy of their learning area


• all teachers need a clear understanding of the literacy demands and opportunities of their learning area

• literacy appropriate to each learning area can be embedded in the teaching of the content and processes of that learning area.

The Literacy continuum will enable learning area teachers to:

• identify the general level of expected language and literacy skills for each year level that they are teaching

• plan how to teach specific language and literacy knowledge and skills essential to students’ understanding of learning area content.

For students who speak a language or dialect other than Standard Australian English at home, access to language and literacy development is especially important. EAL/D students learn English at the same time as they are learning the content of each learning area through English. For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, their home language is a dialect of English such as Aboriginal English. This means that they learn the English of the school context and of the curriculum as a second dialect. It is important to acknowledge the home language, prior knowledge and experiences of these students, and to build on these in developing students’ literacy capabilities in the curriculum. The English as an Additional Language or Dialect: Teacher Resource can be used in conjunction with the Literacy general capability to assist teachers in meeting the language-learning needs of these students.

Some students move slowly between levels or may remain at one level of the learning continuum throughout their schooling. The Literacy learning continuum enables teachers to plan for the teaching of targeted literacy skills through age-equivalent learning area content. The elements of Comprehending and Composing represent the overarching processes of receptive and expressive language and can apply to students at any point in their schooling. The beginning of the learning sequence for these two elements has been extended by an additional four levels (Levels 1a to 1d) to describe in particular the development of communication skills. For more detailed advice on using the Literacy continuum to personalise learning go to Student Diversity.

The Literacy capability is addressed through the learning areas and is identified wherever it is developed or applied in content descriptions. It is also identified where it offers opportunities to add depth and richness to student learning in content elaborations. An icon indicates where Literacy has been identified in learning area content descriptions and elaborations. A filter function on the Australian Curriculum website assists users to find where Literacy has been identified in F–10 curriculum content. Teachers may find further opportunities to incorporate explicit teaching of Literacy depending on their choice of activities and the individual learning needs of their students. Students can also be encouraged to develop capability through personally relevant initiatives of their own design.

• Literacy in English (http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/General-capabilities)

• Literacy in Mathematics (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Mathematics/General-capabilities)

http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/EALD_teacher_resource.pdf


http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/student_diversity/student_diversity.html

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/General-capabilities#Critical-and-creative-thinking




• Literacy in Science (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Science/General-capabilities)

• Literacy in History (http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/History/General-capabilities)

Background

This background summarises the evidence base from which Literacy's introduction, organising elements and learning continuum have been developed. It draws on the Australian Curriculum: English recent international and national research, initiatives and programs that focus on literacy across the curriculum, as well as research and strategies in the development of communication skills.

The Australian Curriculum: English provides a rich resource for learning in all areas of the curriculum. The skills and knowledge taught in the Language and Literacy strands of the Australian Curriculum: English support and contribute to the literacy requirements needed for all learning areas. These skills and knowledge have been used as the basis for constructing the Literacy continuum as it relates to all learning areas of the curriculum.

The definition of literacy in the Australian Curriculum is informed by a social view of language that considers how language works to construct meaning in different social and cultural contexts. This view builds on the work of Vygotsky (1976), Brice Heath (1983), Halliday and Hasan (1985), Freebody and Luke (1990), Gee (1991, 2008), and Christie and Derewianka (2008), who have articulated the intrinsic and interdependent relationship between social context, meaning and language.

This view is concerned with how language use varies according to the context and situation in which it is used. There are important considerations for curriculum area learning stemming from this view because, as students engage with subject-based content, they must learn to access and use language and visual elements in the particular and specific ways that are the distinctive and valued modes of communication in each learning area. They need to learn how diverse texts build knowledge in different curriculum areas, and how language and visual information work together in distinctive ways to present this knowledge.

Language, verbal or non-verbal, is critical for the development of literacy skills. The ability to communicate enables learning across the curriculum, the school day and life outside of school. Development of communication can provide a way for students with a disability to access age-equivalent content and promote education equality (Browder and Spooner 2011). In many cases, developing literacy skills supports the development of communication skills and vice versa. This is the case for students who use augmentative and alternative communication as well as students who use speech to communicate (Speech Pathology Australia 2012).

The social view of language enables insights into differences between ‘spoken-like’ and ‘written-like’ language, and the increasing complexity of language as students progress through school. This is an important concept for subject-based learning. When young children begin school, they generally have developed facility with the spoken language of their home and community to interact informally in face-to-face situations in their immediate environment. This is the meaning-making system they use to engage with the learning experiences of the school; and their first interactions with written text generally employ print versions of ‘spoken-like’ language.


http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/History/General-capabilities#Critical-and-creative-thinking



As subject-based learning proceeds, particularly in the middle and later school years, the texts that students need to understand and produce take on increasingly formal and academic features, employing technical, abstract and specialised ‘written-like’ language forms, in order to communicate complexities of meaning. These texts include precise, densely packed information and place increasing cognitive demands on the student.

There are significant differences in the way different learning areas structure texts and in the language features and vocabulary that students are required to know and use. Therefore, a student’s repertoire of literacy knowledge and skills needs to be diverse, flexible, dynamic and versatile, developing throughout their schooling to deal with the increasing challenges and demands of the curriculum.

Like the Australian Curriculum: English, Literacy also takes account of visual literacy and the rapid changes that have occurred as a result of new technologies in the ways that communication takes place. It is informed by the work of Kress and Van Leeuwen (2006), who have identified a comprehensive grammar of visual design


References

Brice Heath, S. 1983, Ways with Words: language, life and work in communities and classrooms, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Browder, D. & Spooner, F., 2011, Teaching Students with Moderate and Severe Disabilities, Guilford, New York.

Christie, F. & Derewianka, B. 2008, School Discourse: learning to write across the years of schooling, Continuum, London, New York.

Freebody, P. & Luke, A. 1990, ‘Literacies Programs: debates and demands in cultural context’, Prospect: Australian Journal of TESOL, vol. 5, no. 7, pp. 7–16.

Freebody, P. 2009, Literacy Across the Curriculum – Presentation: www.nlnw.nsw.edu.au/videos09/ (accessed 2 November 2011).

Gee, J. 1991, Rewriting Literacy, Bergin & Garvey, New York.

Gee, J. 2008, Social Linguists and Literacies: ideology in discourses, 3rd edn, Taylor & Francis, London.

Halliday, M.A.K. & Hasan, R. 1985, Language, Context and Text: aspects of language in a social-semiotic perspective, Deakin University Press, Geelong, Victoria.

Hanlen, W. 2010, Aboriginal Students: cultural insights for teaching literacy, NSW Department of Education and Training, NSW.

Katz, L.G. 1993, Dispositions as Educational Goals: http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/1993/katzdi93.html (accessed 2 November 2011).

Kress, G.R. & Van Leeuwen, T. 2006, Reading Images: the grammar of visual design, 2nd edn, Routledge, New York.

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training & Youth Affairs 2008, Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians: www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf (accessed 2 November 2011).

Speech Pathology Australia, 2012, Augmentative and Alternative Communication Clinical Guideline, Speech Pathology Australia, Melbourne.

Vygotsky, L. 1976, Thought and Language, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.

Walsh, M. 2011, Multimodal Literacy: researching classroom practice, e:lit, Primary English Teaching Association Australia, Newtown, Sydney.

ACARA, August 2011, Version 1.1 English as an Additional Language or Dialect: Teacher Resource, (http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/EALD_teacher_resource.pdf)

http://www.nlnw.nsw.edu.au/videos09/

http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/1993/katzdi93.html

http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf




Organising elements

The Literacy continuum incorporates two overarching processes:

• Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing • Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating

with the following areas of knowledge applying to both processes:

• Text knowledge • Grammar knowledge • Word knowledge • Visual knowledge.

These processes and areas of knowledge are used as the organising elements of the Literacy continuum. The elements are drawn from the Language and Literacy strands of the Australian Curriculum: English as shown in the table below:

Literacy Continuum Australian Curriculum: English

Language Literacy

Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing

Expressing and developing ideas

Interpreting, analysing, evaluating

Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating Language for interaction

Interacting with others Creating texts

Text knowledge Text structure and organisation Concepts of print and screen

Interpreting, analysing, evaluating Creating texts

Grammar knowledge Expressing and developing ideas Language for interaction

Word knowledge Expressing and developing ideas

Visual knowledge

Expressing and developing ideas

Interpreting, analysing, evaluating Creating texts

Texts in the Literacy continuum

A text is the means for communication. Texts can be written, spoken, visual or multimodal, and in print or digital/online forms. Multimodal texts combine language with other systems for communicating such as visual images, soundtracks and spoken word, as in film or computer presentation media. Texts include all forms of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), for example gesture, signing, real objects, photographs, pictographs and Braille. The forms and conventions of texts have developed to help us communicate effectively with a variety of audiences for a range of purposes, and so texts in different learning areas can and do use language and other features in different ways.

Where the term ‘texts’ is used in the Literacy continuum, this should be read as the type of texts particular to or characteristic of a learning area; for example, reports, data displays and


procedures in Mathematics; models, diagrams, explanations and reports in Science; and narratives, descriptions, discussions and explanations in History.

The diagram below sets out these elements.

Organising elements for Literacy


This element is about receptive language and involves students using skills and strategies to access and interpret spoken, written, visual and multimodal texts. It involves students navigating, reading and viewing texts using applied topic knowledge, vocabulary, word and visual knowledge. It involves students listening and responding to spoken audio and multimodal texts, including listening for information, listening to carry out tasks and listening as part of participating in classroom activities and discussions. It also involves students using a range of strategies to comprehend, interpret and analyse these texts, including retrieving and organising literal information, making and supporting inferences and evaluating information points of view. In developing and acting with literacy, students:

• listen and respond to learning area texts • read and view learning area texts • interpret and analyse learning area texts.

The element of Comprehending texts can apply to students at any point in their schooling. The beginning of the learning sequence for this element has been extended by an additional four levels (Levels 1a to 1d) to describe in particular the early development of communication skills. The descriptions for Comprehending texts at these levels apply across the elements of Text knowledge, Grammar knowledge, Word knowledge and Visual knowledge.

Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating

This element is about expressive language and involves students composing different types of texts for a range of purposes as an integral part of learning in all curriculum areas. These texts include spoken, written, visual and multimodal texts that explore, communicate and analyse information, ideas and issues in the learning areas. The element involves students creating formal and informal texts as part of classroom learning experiences including group and class discussions, talk that explores and investigates learning area topics, and formal and informal presentations and debates. In developing and acting with literacy, students:


• compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts • use language to interact with others • deliver presentations.

The element of Composing texts can apply to students at any point in their schooling. The beginning of the learning sequence for this element has been extended by an additional four levels (Levels 1a to 1d) to describe in particular the development of communication skills. The descriptions for Composing texts at these levels apply across the elements of Text knowledge, Grammar knowledge, Word knowledge and Visual knowledge.

Text knowledge

This element involves students understanding how the spoken, written, visual and multimodal texts they compose and comprehend are structured to meet the range of purposes needed in the curriculum areas. It involves understanding the different types of text structures that are used within curriculum disciplines to present information, explain processes and relationships, argue and support points of view and investigate issues. The element also involves understanding how whole texts are made cohesive through various grammatical features that link and strengthen the text’s internal structure. In developing and acting with literacy, students:

• use knowledge of text structures

• use knowledge of text cohesion.

Grammar knowledge

This element involves students understanding the role of grammatical features in the construction of meaning in the texts they compose and comprehend. It involves understanding how different types of sentence structures present, link and elaborate ideas, and how different types of words and word groups convey information and represent ideas in the learning areas. The element also includes understanding the grammatical features through which opinion, evaluation, point of view and bias are constructed in texts. In developing and acting with literacy, students:

• use knowledge of sentence structures

• use knowledge of words and word groups

• express opinion and point of view.

Word knowledge

This element involves students understanding the increasingly specialised vocabulary and spelling needed to compose and comprehend learning area texts. It includes the development of strategies and skills for acquiring a wide topic vocabulary in the learning areas and the capacity to spell the relevant words accurately. In developing and acting with literacy, students:

• understand learning area vocabulary

• use spelling knowledge.


Visual knowledge

This element involves students understanding how visual information contributes to the meanings created in learning area texts. It includes interpreting still and moving images, graphs, tables, maps and other graphic representations, and understanding and evaluating how images and language work together in distinctive ways in different curriculum areas to present ideas and information in the texts they compose and comprehend. In developing and acting with literacy, students:

• understand how visual elements create meaning.


Literacy Learning Continuum


Level 1a Students:

Level 1b Students:

Level 1c Students:

Level 1d Students:

Comprehend texts

use behaviours that are not intentionally directed at another person to: • attend to, respond to or show interest

in familiar people, texts, events and activities

use informal behaviours that show consistent anticipation of events in regular routines to: • attend consistently to familiar texts • respond consistently to social

interactions with familiar people • demonstrate anticipation of

predictable events • respond to questions • respond to requests

use conventional behaviours and/or concrete symbols consistently in an increasing range of environments and with familiar and unfamiliar people to: • respond to a sequence of gestures,

objects, photographs and/or pictographs, for example follow a visual schedule to complete a task

• respond to texts with familiar structures, for example by responding to a question

• respond to requests

use conventional behaviours and/or abstract symbols consistently in different contexts and with different people to: • work out the meaning of texts with

familiar structures, such as illustrated books, printed words, Braille texts and pictographs , using knowledge of context and vocabulary

• respond to questions, sequence events and identify information from texts with familiar structures

• use information in texts to explore a topic

Level 1e Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6

Typically by the end of Foundation Year, students:

Typically by the end of Year 2, students:





Navigate, read and view learning area texts

navigate, read and view simple texts with familiar vocabulary and supportive illustrations

navigate, read and view texts with illustrations and simple graphics

navigate, read and view different types of texts with illustrations and more detailed graphics

navigate, read and view subject-specific texts with some challenging features and a range of graphic representations

navigate, read and view a variety of challenging subject-specific texts with a wide range of graphic representations

navigate, read and view a wide range of more demanding subject-specific texts with an extensive range of graphic representations

Examples • using beginning

knowledge of layout, context, vocabulary,

Examples • using and combining

developing knowledge of layout,

Examples • using and combining

increasing knowledge of page and screen

Examples • applying advanced

knowledge of layout , context, vocabulary,

Examples • applying detailed and

specific knowledge of layout, context,

Examples • applying detailed and

extensive knowledge of layout, context, vocabulary,









grammar, phonics, visuals, and simple navigating functions on tablets and personal computers

context, vocabulary, grammar, phonics and visuals, layout and navigational tools such as menu bars and icons

layout, context, vocabulary, grammar, phonics and visuals including icons and buttons

grammar and visuals including home pages and sub-pages to aid navigation and use

vocabulary, grammar, visuals

grammar and visuals

English ACELY1649 Science ACSSU002 History ACHHS018

English ACELY1669 Mathematics ACMNA030 Science ACSSU030 History ACHHK044


English ACELY1712 Mathematics ACMMG137 Science ACSSU094 History ACHHK113

English ACELY1733 Mathematics ACMNA187 Science ACSSU149 History ACDSEH009

English ACELY1753 Mathematics ACMMG245 Science ACSSU184 History ACDSEH107

Listen and respond to learning area texts

listen and respond to brief questions and one and two step instructions, listen for information in simple spoken texts and respond to audio texts and texts read aloud

listen to two or more step instructions for undertaking learning tasks, listen for information about topics being learned in spoken and audio texts and respond to texts read aloud

listen to spoken instructions with some detail for undertaking learning area tasks, listen to identify key information in spoken and multi-modal texts and respond to texts read aloud

listen to detailed spoken instructions for undertaking learning tasks, listen to spoken and audio texts, and respond to and interpret information and opinions presented

listen to extended spoken and audio texts, respond to and interpret stated and implied meanings, and evaluate information and ideas

listen to a range of extended spoken and audio texts and respond to, interpret and evaluate ideas, information and opinions

Examples • commenting on a text

read aloud

Examples • recalling information

from a text read aloud

Examples • listing information

recalled from an audio text

Examples • interrogating ideas

presented in a group discussion

Examples • making inferences

from information presented in a spoken text

Examples • identifying and challenging

unstated assumptions in a spoken text

English ACELY1646 Mathematics ACMSP011 Science ACSSU004 History ACHHK004



English ACELY1709 Science ACSIS232 History ACHHK113

English ACELY1730 Science ACSIS140 History ACHHS153










Interpret and analyse learning area texts

interpret simple texts using comprehension strategies

interpret and use texts to explore topics, gather information and make some obvious inferences using comprehension strategies

interpret literal information and make inferences to expand topic knowledge using comprehension strategies

interpret and analyse information and ideas, comparing texts on similar topics or themes using comprehension strategies

interpret and evaluate information, identify main ideas and supporting evidence, and analyse different perspectives using comprehension strategies

interpret and evaluate information within and between texts, comparing and contrasting information using comprehension strategies

Examples • relating information to

own experience, sequencing events, and drawing on information in illustrations

Examples • drawing on prior

knowledge, and interpreting illustrations and simple graphics

Examples • linking print text and

graphics, asking and answering questions and finding the main idea

Examples • linking and

summarising information from different sources

Examples • checking the

credibility of sources

Examples • identifying embedded

perspectives and evaluating supporting evidence

English ACELY1650 Mathematics ACMSP011 Science ACSSU002 History ACHHS018

English ACELY1670 Mathematics ACMNA033 Science ACSHE035 History ACHHS048


English ACELY1713 Mathematics ACMNA123 Science ACSIS221 History ACHHK115


English ACELY1754 Mathematics ACMSP253 Science ACSIS205 History ACHHS188


Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating

Level 1a Students:

Level 1b Students:

Level 1c Students:

Level 1d Students:

Compose texts

use behaviours that are not intentionally directed at another person to: • refuse or reject • reflect a preference or desire • reflect state of wellbeing, for example

contentment, joy, worry, pain • reflect a physical state, for example

hot, cold, nausea

use informal behaviours to intentionally communicate a single message consistently in familiar environments with familiar people, such as to: • refuse or reject • express a preference • request the continuation of an activity • request something new • request more • request attention

use conventional behaviours and/or concrete symbols to intentionally communicate more than one idea at a time consistently across an increasing range of environments with familiar and unfamiliar people, such as to: • refuse or reject • request items, people or events

present at the time • create texts, for example to comment

on a recent event, story or shared experience

use conventional behaviours and/or abstract symbols consistently in different contexts and with different people to communicate intentionally and consistently in different contexts and with different people to: • create texts with familiar structures

such as speech, simple print texts, keyboard texts, illustrations, pictographs

• comment on people, events and objects in the past, present and future and to ask questions

• convey knowledge about learning area topics








Compose spoken, written, visual and multimodal learning area texts

compose short learning area texts, with support, to record and report ideas and events

compose and edit a small range of learning area texts

compose and edit a range of learning area texts

compose and edit learning area texts

compose and edit longer sustained learning area texts

compose and edit longer and more complex learning area texts

Examples incorporating: • expressive language

such as speech or sign • early writing

knowledge • drawing and other

visual elements

Examples incorporating: • known topic information • familiar language

structures • illustrations and simple

graphics

Examples incorporating: • known and some

researched information • some more extended

language features • illustrations and

different types of

Examples combining: • information from several

sources • more formal and

extended language features to report information and express opinions

Examples incorporating: • researched and

analysed information • complex language

features to explore topics and express and support opinions

• a wide range of

Examples incorporating: • researched and

evaluated information • complex language

features to interpret and analyse challenging and complex issues

• an extensive range of









graphics • a range of graphics graphics graphics

English ACELY1651 Mathematics ACMMG010 Science ACSIS233 History ACHHS021



English ACELY1714 Mathematics ACMNA122 Science ACSIS110 History ACHHS124



Use language to interact with others

use short pair, group and class conversations and discussions as learning tools to explore learning area topics and to prepare for creating texts

use pair, group and class discussions as learning tools to explore learning area topics, to represent ideas and relationships, and to prepare for creating texts

use pair, group and class discussions about learning area topics as learning tools to explore and represent ideas and relationships, test possibilities and to prepare for creating texts

use pair, group and class discussions and informal debates as learning tools to explore ideas and relationships, test possibilities, compare solutions and to prepare for creating texts

use pair, group and class discussions and formal and informal debates as learning tools to explore ideas, test possibilities, compare solutions, rehearse ideas and arguments in preparation for creating texts

use pair, group and class discussions and formal and informal debates as learning tools to explore ideas, compare solutions, evaluate information and ideas, refine opinions and arguments in preparation for creating texts

Examples • sharing likes and

dislikes

Examples • sharing ideas for

conducting an investigation

Examples • discussing data

gathered in an investigation

Examples • comparing solutions to

a problem

Examples • considering data and

sharing and supporting opinions

Examples • participating in a formal

debate on an aspect of a topic being studied







Deliver presentations

plan and deliver short presentations related to learning area topics

plan, rehearse and deliver short presentations on learning area topics, incorporating some visual and multimodal elements

plan, rehearse and deliver presentations on learning area topics, incorporating some learned content and appropriate visual and multimodal elements

plan, research, rehearse and deliver presentations on learning area topics, selecting appropriate content and visual and multimodal elements to suit different audiences

plan, research, rehearse and deliver presentations on learning area topics, sequencing selected content and multimodal elements for accuracy and their impact on the audience

plan, research, rehearse and deliver presentations on more complex issues and learning area topics, combining visual and multimodal elements creatively to present ideas and information and support opinions and









engage and persuade an audience

Examples • giving recounts of an

experience

Examples • recounting steps in a

task

Examples • providing researched

information about a topic being studied

Examples • explaining results of a

group task

Examples • describing a process

and explaining its results

Examples • providing evidence-

based arguments to justify a position

English ACELY1647

English ACELY1667

English ACELY1689

English ACELY1710

English ACELY1731

English ACELY1751

Text knowledge








Use knowledge of text structures

use knowledge of some basic differences between imaginative and informative texts to select and use texts and compose simple learning area texts with teacher support

use knowledge of the structure and features of learning area texts to comprehend and compose a growing range of texts with some teacher support

use growing knowledge of the structure and features of learning area texts to comprehend and compose an increasing number and range of texts

use developing knowledge of the structure and features of learning area texts to comprehend and compose a range of more complex texts for identified purposes

use wide knowledge of the structure and features of learning area texts to comprehend and compose texts, using creative adaptations of text structures and conventions for citing others

use comprehensive knowledge of the structure and features of learning area texts to comprehend and compose complex texts in innovative ways, using conventions for citing others

Examples • selecting an

informative text to find information

Examples • creating a recount of

steps in a process in sequence

Examples • creating an

information report to present researched information

Examples • creating a multimodal

text to explain a process or set of events

Examples • adapting digital text

elements to create a persuasive text

Examples • creating a multimodal text to

present, argue and justify a course of action

English ACELA1430 Mathematics ACMNA289 Science ACSIS011



English ACELA1518 Mathematics ACMSP148 Science ACSIS110











History ACHHS021 History ACHHS053 History ACHHS086 History ACHHS124 History ACHHS156 History ACHHS192

Mathematics examples • patterns • simple statements of

comparison • days of the week

yes/no questions

Mathematics examples • calendars • simple maps • word problems • reports of steps in a

process • data displays such as

lists and graphs

Mathematics examples • reports of a process • procedures on how to

make mathematical shapes or complete a process

• data displays to represent information

• oral and written reports of group tasks

• multiplication and division word problems

Mathematics examples • survey questions and

reports • procedures on how to

make mathematical shapes or complete a process

• data displays with and without digital technologies

• explanations of mathematical processes

• recounts and evaluations of group tasks

• word problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions

Mathematics examples • survey questions and

reports • procedures on how to

complete a mathematical task or process




• word problems involving profit and loss

Mathematics examples • survey questions and reports • procedures on how to

complete a mathematical task or process




• word problems involving algebraic equations

Science examples • questions and

answers • statements of

observations • drawings to represent

ideas

Science examples • reports of steps in a

process • descriptions of

observations • annotated diagrams

of observed objects or living things

• sequential explanations, for example explaining personal growth and changes from birth, life stages in animals

Science examples • reports of a process • information reports of

procedures on how to design objects or processes

• annotated diagrams that illustrate relationships or processes

• descriptions of observed objects, living things or phenomena

• causal explanations, for example explaining

Science examples • reports and

evaluations of investigations

• information reports using multi-source research

• procedures on how to carry out a particular process or investigation using active voice

• causal explanations, for example explaining the effect of a change state caused by heating

Science examples • reports and

evaluations of individual and group investigations

• factual reports using multi-source research

• persuasive texts to argue for a particular course of action

• discussion texts with supporting evidence to present both sides of a contentious issue and a conclusion

• procedures on how to

Science examples • reports and evaluations of

investigations • factual reports using multi-

source research • evidence-based arguments

using appropriate scientific language, conventions and representations to justify a position and persuade others

• discussion texts that, for example, present a point of view on a contentious issue with supporting evidence

• theoretical explanations, for example explaining the









how the properties and use of materials could lead to pollution

and cooling familiar substances

carry out a particular process or investigation using passive voice

• consequential explanations, for example explaining how the flammability or corrosiveness of a substance affects its use

relationship between DNA, genes and chromosomes using models and diagrams

History examples • simple sequences of

familiar objects and events

• questions and answers

• narratives about the past

History examples • historical retellings of

an event • narratives built

around historical events

• descriptions of historical people and places

History examples • historical reports of an

event • historical narratives

told from a particular perspective

• descriptions of an historical figure or place

History examples • historical recounts of

a series of events with some summative commentary

• historical narratives that retell past events, for example from a particular personal or cultural perspective

• detailed descriptions of particular places from the past demonstrating use of source material

• persuasive texts, for example presenting a particular point of view in relation to an historical event or figure

History examples • historical recounts of a

series of events with some summative commentary

• historical narratives that retell past events, for example from a particular personal or cultural perspective

• detailed descriptions, for example of particular places from the past demonstrating use of evidence from sources

• explanations that, for example, present the causes of an event

• discussion texts with supporting evidence

History examples • historical recounts of a series

of events or developments within a chronological framework with some summative or evaluative commentary

• explanations that, for example, consider past events from a particular personal or cultural perspective

• detailed descriptions of particular places from the past demonstrating use of evidence from primary and secondary sources, using appropriate referencing

• discussion texts that, for example, present historical arguments with supporting evidence

Use knowledge of text cohesion

use beginning knowledge of how language is used to comprehend and compose written texts with

use knowledge of how texts are made cohesive through word repetitions and associations, synonyms and antonyms

use knowledge of how texts are made cohesive through linking words and phrases, for example ‘so’, ‘therefore’, ‘then’, ‘in

use knowledge of how cohesive links can be made in texts through omitting and replacing

use knowledge of word functions to make connections in texts

use knowledge of how the cohesion in texts is improved by strengthening the internal structure









support to comprehend and compose texts

addition’, and the correct use of pronouns to comprehend and compose texts

words

Examples • using spaces

between words and return sweep when writing

Examples • using synonyms

when speaking about a topic

Examples • retelling a sequence

of events

Examples • substituting a general

word for a specific one previously mentioned

Examples • sequencing a text

(firstly), developing an argument (therefore) and signalling a conclusion (in conclusion)

Examples • using paragraphing, and

providing examples, quotations and substantiation of claims

English ACELA1431 Mathematics ACMNA289 History ACHHK004

English ACELA1464 Mathematics ACMNA030 Science ACSIS042 History ACHHS053




English ACELA1567 Mathematics ACMSP246 Science ACSIS208 History ACHHS192

Grammar knowledge








Use knowledge of sentence structures

use simple sentences to record ideas and events with emerging knowledge of word order

use simple and compound sentences to record observations, and make connections between ideas

use simple, compound and complex sentence structures to describe, explain, report and make connections between ideas and events

use simple, compound and complex sentence structures to record, explain, question, describe and elaborate ideas and events

control a range of simple, compound and complex sentence structures to record, explain, question, argue, describe and link ideas, evidence and conclusions

control a range of simple, compound and complex sentence structures to convey complex ideas, build and support arguments, and change emphasis

Examples • using simple

sentences to record and report events

Examples • linking clauses with a

conjunction such as ‘and’, ‘but’ or ‘so’

Examples • using before/after to

explain a time relationship

Examples • using conjunctions to

indicate time (while), manner (as), cause

Examples • using conjunctions

such as ‘if’, ‘while’ to express logical

Examples • reordering clauses or using

passive or active voice









(because), concession (although, while)

relationships







Use knowledge of words and word groups

recognise that texts are made up of words and groups of words that make meaning

recognise and use nouns that represent people, places, things and ideas in the learning area and expand nouns to achieve greater precision

recognise and use adverbs and prepositional phrases that provide detailed descriptions in the learning areas

expand and sharpen ideas through careful choice of verbs and phrases and elaborated tenses

recognise and use aspects of language to suggest possibility, probability, obligation and conditionality

develop higher order concepts in academic texts through language features that compact and generalise ideas

Examples • matching spoken

words to written words when reading

Examples

• using articles and adjectives, such as 'community', 'my local community'

Examples • reporting an action

such as 'The block slid slowly down the slope'

Examples • expanding a verb

group such as 'He waited.'

'He/ had been waiting/ for a long time'

Examples • using structures such

as 'It might have been possible to…'

Examples • using nominalisation,

technical and abstract vocabulary


English ACELA1465 Mathematics ACMNA030 Science ACSHE034 History ACHHS051





Express opinion and point of view

use speaking, visual elements (including drawing) and beginning writing to express likes and dislikes

identify and use language that expresses feelings and opinions, and compares and evaluates people and things

differentiate between the language of opinion and feeling and the language of factual reporting or recording

use subjective, objective and evaluative language, and identify bias

use language to evaluate an object, action or text, and language that is designed to persuade the reader/viewer

use language that indirectly expresses opinions and constructs representations of people and events, and consider expressed and implied judgments









Examples • using simple word

choices such as like, love, enjoy

Examples • using adjectives to

compare two elements (faster, older) and more than two (fastest, oldest)

Examples • identifying verbs used

to express opinion (think, believe) and report findings (found, observed)

Examples • using language to

express a point of view, persuade an audience and report an event

Examples • identifying

evaluations achieved through word choice

Examples • identifying evaluations

achieved through exaggeration, irony, understatement and parody

English ACELA1429 Science ACSIS012

English ACELA1462 History ACHHS052


English ACELA1517 Science ACSIS108 History ACHHS123



Word knowledge







Understand learning area vocabulary

use familiar vocabulary contexts related to everyday experiences, personal interests and topics taught at school and used in other contexts

use mostly familiar vocabulary, with a steady introduction of new vocabulary in learning area contexts

use growing subject-specific vocabulary to read, discuss and write about learning area topics

use vocabulary, including subject-specific vocabulary from a range of learning areas and vocabulary that expresses shades of meaning

use a wide range of new specialist and topic vocabulary to contribute to the specificity, authority and abstraction of texts

use subject-specific vocabulary to express abstract concepts, and refine vocabulary choices to discriminate between shades of meaning

Examples • using familiar words

in a class discussion

Examples • using new terms in a

spoken report

Examples • using new topic

vocabulary accurately in a written report

Examples • using technical

vocabulary to explain a process

Examples • using exact

terminology to create a detailed description

Examples • using vocabulary to express,

argue and justify a point of view

English ACELA1437 Mathematics ACMNA001 Science ACSSU003 History ACHHS019

English ACELA1470 Mathematics ACMMG043 Science ACSSU032 History ACHHS051

English ACELA1498 Mathematics ACMNA078 Science ACSHE062 History ACHHS082

English ACELA1515 Mathematics ACMMG142 Science ACSHE220 History ACHHS123

English ACELA1547 Mathematics ACMMG200 Science ACSSU150 History ACHHS149

English ACELA1571 Mathematics ACMSP246 Science ACSSU186 History ACHHS191








Use spelling knowledge

spell words using growing sound and letter knowledge and spell words with regular letter patterns

spell topic words, new words with regular letter patterns and some common irregular words, and recognise meaning relationships between words such as ‘’play’, ‘playing’, ‘playground’

spell topic words, more complex irregular words, regular words and word families containing known letters and letter clusters, and use strategies for attempting unknown words

spell topic words and use word origins, base words, prefixes and suffixes when spelling new words

spell specialist topic words and use knowledge of word origins, base words, prefixes and suffixes and unusual letter combinations to spell correctly

use knowledge of a wide range of English spelling conventions to spell unusual and technical words correctly and to deduce the meanings of unfamiliar words and spell unknown words

Example • showing attempts at

sound–letter matching to spell new words

Examples • spelling known words

accurately and consistently

Examples • writing new topic

words with growing accuracy

Examples • demonstrating good

spelling knowledge in attempts at unknown words

Examples • showing great

consistency and accuracy in spelling

Examples • spelling accurately on almost

all occasions







Visual knowledge







Understand how visual elements create meaning

recognise the different meanings of words and images in imaginative and informative texts

describe how images add to, contradict or multiply the meanings of words in a text, and compare images with the accompanying print text

identify the effects of choices in the construction of images, including framing and composition

explain how analytical images such as figures, diagrams, tables, maps and graphs contribute to understanding of factual information in texts

analyse the effects of different visual elements upon the reader/viewer, and how visual texts such as advertisements and informative texts draw on and allude to other texts to enhance meaning

evaluate the impact of different visual choices in the composition of images, including symbolic images and movement of camera or light, to achieve different nuances

Examples • identifying an object

in a text in word and

Examples • identifying added

information provided

Examples • identifying the

relationship between

Examples • selecting a graph to

present information

Examples • explaining the impact

of an image

Examples • identifying the most effective

image to include in a report








illustration by an image elements in an image


English ACELT1587 Mathematics ACMSP050 Science ACSIS042 History ACHHS054






Numeracy Introduction

In the Australian Curriculum, students become numerate as they develop the knowledge and skills to use mathematics confidently across other learning areas at school and in their lives more broadly. Numeracy involves students in recognising and understanding the role of mathematics in the world and having the dispositions and capacities to use mathematical knowledge and skills purposefully.

The Melbourne Declaration of Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA 2008) recognises that numeracy is an essential skill for students in becoming successful learners at school and in life beyond school, and in preparing them for their future roles as family, community and workforce members. More broadly, a numerate population is critical in ensuring the nation’s ongoing prosperity, productivity and workforce participation.

Scope of the Numeracy

Numeracy encompasses the knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that students need to use mathematics in a wide range of situations. The Numeracy learning continuum identifies the related mathematical knowledge and skills, and contextualises these through learning area examples.

When teachers identify numeracy demands across the curriculum, students have opportunities to transfer their mathematical knowledge and skills to contexts outside the mathematics classroom. These opportunities assist students to recognise the interconnected nature of mathematical knowledge, other learning areas and the wider world, and encourage them to use their mathematical skills broadly.

For a description of the organising elements for Numeracy, go to Organising elements.

Numeracy across the curriculum

In the Australian Curriculum, much of the explicit teaching of numeracy skills occurs in Mathematics. Being numerate involves more than the application of routine procedures within the mathematics classroom. Students need to recognise that mathematics is constantly used outside the mathematics classroom and that numerate people apply general mathematical skills in a wide range of familiar and unfamiliar situations.

Using mathematical skills across the curriculum both enriches the study of other learning areas and contributes to the development of a broader and deeper understanding of numeracy. Therefore, a commitment to numeracy development is an essential component of learning areas across the curriculum and a responsibility for all teachers. This requires that teachers:

• identify the specific numeracy demands of their learning area

• provide learning experiences and opportunities that support the application of students’ general mathematical knowledge and skills

• use the language of numeracy in their teaching as appropriate.


Teachers should be aware of the correct use of mathematical language in their own learning areas. Understanding mathematical terminology and the specific uses of language in mathematics is essential for numeracy.

The Numeracy capability is addressed through the learning areas and is identified wherever it is developed or applied in content descriptions. It is also identified where it offers opportunities to add depth and richness to student learning in content elaborations. An icon indicates where Numeracy has been identified in learning area content descriptions and elaborations. A filter function on the Australian Curriculum website assists users to find where Numeracy has been identified in F–10 curriculum content. Teachers may find further opportunities to incorporate explicit teaching of Numeracy depending on their choice of activities. Students can also be encouraged to develop capability through personally relevant initiatives of their own design.

• Numeracy in English (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/General-capabilities)

• Numeracy in Mathematics (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Mathematics/General-capabilities)

• Numeracy in Science (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Science/General-capabilities)

• Numeracy in History (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/History/General-capabilities)

Background

This background summarises the evidence base from which the Numeracy capability’s introduction, organising elements and learning continuum have been developed. It draws on recent international and national research, as well as initiatives and programs that focus on numeracy across the curriculum.

The identification of numeracy as a general capability or competence to be addressed across the curriculum is supported by the literature. In Australia, the National Numeracy Review Report (Commonwealth of Australia 2008) argued for an emphasis both on mathematics as a distinct area of study and numeracy as an across-the-curriculum competency. In order to develop the ability to communicate numeric information effectively, students should engage in learning that involves using mathematics in the context of other disciplines. This requires a cross-curricular commitment and is not just the responsibility of the Mathematics Department (Miller 2010).

The Numeracy capability and learning continuum have been informed by a range of findings identified in the literature over a considerable period of time. Steen (2001) pointed out the ever-increasing gap between the quantitative needs of citizens and their quantitative capacity, while Miller (2010) continues to argue that quantitative literacy is a proficiency that is essential for people to be able to participate fully in a democratic society. Most recently, concerns about low levels of financial literacy shown by young people in Australia prompted the development of a National Consumer and Financial Literacy Framework to support the development of financial literacy skills in young people (MCEECDYA 2011).








The approach to the Numeracy capability, reflected in an optimal approach taken in schools, is informed by aspects of numeracy that were highlighted in the literature, including that:

• mathematics that people use in context is better understood than mathematics taught in isolation (Carraher, Carraher and Schliemann 1985; Zevenbergen and Zevenbergen 2009)

• knowledge is not automatically transferable from mathematics to other contexts (Lave 1988); numeracy requires contextual and strategic knowledge as well as mathematical skills (AAMT 1998)

• in numeracy there may be more than one suitable answer or method (Cohen 2001)

• numeracy moments often arise in unexpected situations (Thornton and Hogan 2005).


References

Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers 1998, Policy on Numeracy Education in Schools, AAMT, Adelaide.

Carraher, T., Carraher, D. & Schliemann, A. 1985, ‘Mathematics in the streets and in schools’, British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 3, pp. 21–29.

Cockcroft, W.H. 1982, The Cockcroft Report: mathematics counts, The History of Education in England: www.educationengland.org.uk/documents/cockcroft/ (accessed 2 November 2011).

Cohen, P. 2001, ‘The Emergence of Numeracy’, in Steen, L. (ed), Mathematics and Democracy: the case for quantitative literacy, National Council on Education and the Disciplines, USA.

Council of Australian Governments 2008, National Numeracy Review Report, Commonwealth of Australia, Barton, ACT.

Crowther, G. 1959, 15 to 18: A report of the Central Advisory Committee for Education (England), HMSO, London.

Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs 1997, Numeracy = Everyone’s Business: Report of the Numeracy Education Strategy Development Conference, AAMT, Adelaide.

Frankenstein, M. 2001, ‘To Read the World: goals for a critical mathematical literacy’, in Lee, B. & Spencer, T. (eds), Mathematics: Shaping Australia, Proceedings of the 18th Biennial Conference of the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers, AAMT, Adelaide.

Lave, J. 1988, Cognition in practice: Mind, mathematics and culture in everyday life, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Miller, J. 2010, ‘Quantitative Literacy Across the Curriculum: integrating skills from English composition, mathematics and the substantive disciplines’, The Educational Forum, October, vol. 74, no. 4.

Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs 2011, National Consumer and Financial Literacy Framework, MCEECDYA, Carlton South, Victoria.

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training & Youth Affairs 2008, Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians: www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf (accessed 2 November 2011).

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2001, Knowledge and Skills for Life: first results from PISA 2000, p. 22, OECD, Paris.

Steen, L. 2001, ‘The Case for Quantitative Literacy’, in Steen, L. (ed), Mathematics and Democracy: the case for quantitative literacy, pp. 1–22, National Council on Education and the Disciplines, USA.

Thornton, S. & Hogan, J. 2005, ‘Mathematics for Everybody: implications for the lower secondary school’, in Coupland, M., Anderson, J. & Spencer, T. (eds), Making Mathematics

http://www.educationengland.org.uk/documents/cockcroft/




Vital, Proceedings of the 20th Biennial Conference of the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers, pp. 243–252, AAMT, Adelaide.

Watson, J.M. & Callingham, R.A. 2003, ‘Statistical Literacy: a complex hierarchical construct’, Statistics Education Research Journal, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 3–46.

Willis, S. 1992, ‘Being Numerate: Whose right? Who’s left?’, Literacy and Numeracy Exchange, Autumn 1992.

Zevenbergen, R. & Zevenbergen, K. 2009, ‘The Numeracies of Boatbuilding: new numeracies shaped by workplace technologies’, International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 183–206.


Organising elements

The Numeracy learning continuum is organised into six interrelated elements:

• Estimating and calculating with whole numbers • Recognising and using patterns and relationships • Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates • Using spatial reasoning • Interpreting statistical information • Using measurement

These elements are drawn from the strands of the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics as shown in the table below:

Numeracy Continuum Australian Curriculum: Mathematics

Estimating and calculating with whole numbers Number and Algebra Measurement and Geometry

Recognising and using patterns and relationships

Number and Algebra Statistics and Probability

Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates

Number and Algebra Measurement and Geometry

Using spatial reasoning Measurement and Geometry

Interpreting statistical information Statistics and Probability

Using measurement Measurement and Geometry


Organising elements for Numeracy


Estimating and calculating with whole numbers

This element involves students using numbers for different purposes. Students apply skills in estimating and calculating with whole numbers to solve and model everyday problems in a wide range of authentic contexts using efficient mental, written and digital strategies. They identify situations where money is used and apply their knowledge of the value of money to purchasing, budgeting and justifying the use of money. In developing and acting with numeracy, students:

• understand and use numbers in context • estimate and calculate • use money.


This element involves students identifying trends and describing and using a wide range of rules and relationships to continue and predict patterns. Students apply their understanding of patterns and relationships when solving problems in authentic contexts.


This element involves students developing an understanding of the meaning of fractions and decimals, their representations as ratios, rates and percentages, and how they can be applied in real-life situations. Students visualise, order and describe shapes and objects using their proportions and the relationships of ratios, rates and percentages to solve problems in authentic contexts. In developing and acting with numeracy, students:

• interpret proportional reasoning • apply proportional reasoning.

Using spatial reasoning

This element involves students in making sense of the space around them. Students visualise, identify and sort shapes and objects, describing their key features in the environment. They use symmetry, shapes and angles to solve problems in authentic contexts and interpret maps and diagrams, using scales, legends and directional language to identify and describe routes and locations. In developing and acting with numeracy, students:

• visualise 2D shapes and 3D objects • interpret maps and diagrams.

Interpreting statistical information

This element involves students gaining familiarity with the way statistical information is represented through solving problems in authentic contexts that involve collecting, recording, displaying, comparing and evaluating the effectiveness of data displays of various types. Students use appropriate language and numerical representations when explaining the outcomes of chance events. In developing and acting with numeracy, students:


• interpret data displays • interpret chance events.

Using measurement This element involves students learning about measurement of length, area, volume, capacity, time and mass. Students estimate, measure, compare and calculate using metric units when solving problems in authentic contexts. They read clocks and convert between time systems, identify and sequence dates and events using a calendar and use timetables for a variety of purposes. In developing and acting with numeracy, students:

• estimate and measure with metric units • operate with clocks, calendars and timetables.


Numeracy Learning Continuum

Estimating and calculating with whole numbers

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6

1a

1b Typically by the end of Foundation Year, students

Typically by the end of Year 2, students





Understand and use numbers in context

demonstrate concepts of counting using every day experiences

connect and order number names, numerals and groups of objects using numbers up to two digits

model, represent, order and use numbers up to four digits

model, represent, order and use numbers up to five digits

identify, describe and use numbers larger than one million

compare, order and use positive and negative numbers to solve everyday problems

use different ways to represent very large and very small numbers including scientific notation

Examples • showing

anticipation that something will happen on the count of 1, 2, 3

Examples • sorting

numbered objects into ascending order or identifying how many members there are in the school sport’s team

Examples • estimating growth

of living things and representing prediction by making a chart

Examples • estimating the

quantity of supplies for the First Fleet

Examples • estimating and

comparing population growth of the twentieth century in different countries or states of Australia

Examples • recording

different boiling and freezing points in an experiment

Examples • comparing the

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of nations or representation of atoms in different materials

Mathematics ACMNA001 Science ACSSU003 History ACHHS015




Mathematics ACMNA280 Science ACSIS141 History ACDSEH071

Mathematics ACMNA210 Science ACSSU184 History ACDSEH147

Estimate and calculate

recognise the effects of adding to and taking away from a collection of objects

solve everyday addition and share stories

estimate the solution to a problem and then calculate the answer

estimate a solution to a problem and then check the solution by recalling addition, subtraction, multiplication and

solve problems and check calculations using efficient mental and written strategies

solve complex problems by estimating and calculating using efficient mental, written and digital

solve and model problems involving complex data by estimating and calculating using a variety of efficient



1a

1b Typically by the end of Foundation Year, students






division facts strategies

mental, written and digital strategies

Examples • recognising that a

pile of books gets bigger when adding to it

Examples • modelling a

number story on a favourite book or multimedia presentation

Examples • calculating the

total for two purchases at the school canteen


difference between the number of convicts who left Britain on the First Fleet and the number who arrived in Australia

Examples • measuring and

estimating the growth of plants


running costs of a range of household appliances with different energy ratings

Examples • using

statistics to predict trends such as the use of social media in different age groups

Mathematics ACMNA004






Use money

identify situations that involve the use of money

recognise the different value of coins and notes in the Australian monetary system

identify and use combinations of coins and notes for simple purchases

estimate the change from simple purchases

create simple financial plans, budgets and cost predictions

identify and justify ‘best value for money’ decisions

evaluate financial plans to support specific financial goals

Example • using pictures of

the local community to identify places where money can be used

Examples naming the value of different coins and notes

Examples • selecting the right

money to buy lunch from the school canteen

Examples • working out

change from $5 when buying a drink

Examples • creating a simple

budget for a birthday party for 10 friends

Examples • comparing

different phone plans and presenting a reason for purchasing the chosen plan

Examples • developing a

budget/ financial plan to save for a desired item taking into account the interest earned










1a

1b

Typically by the end of Foundation Year, students






Recognise and use patterns and relationships

recognise simple patterns in everyday contexts

describe and continue patterns

identify, describe and create everyday patterns

identify and describe trends in everyday patterns

identify and describe pattern rules and relationships that help to identify trends

identify trends using number rules and relationships

explain how the practical application of patterns can be used to identify trends

Example • recognising

patterns in games, music, artwork

Examples • continuing simple

patterns using different colours or repeating a pattern in music

Examples • creating a pattern

based on the petal structure of a flower

Examples • creating a pattern

that could be used to produce a mosaic

Examples • survey dates in a

local cemetery to find clues about patterns of settlement

Examples • using fuel

consumptions vs. distance data to determine patterns of a vehicle’s fuel consumption

Examples • using mobile

phone bills to identify usage trends

English ACELT1579

Mathematics ACMNA005 Science ACSSU004

History ACHHK001

English ACELT1592


History ACHHS047

Mathematics ACMNA081 Science ACSHE061 History ACHHS081

Mathematics ACMNA133 Science ACSIS107 History ACHHS117

Science ACSIS145

History ACHHS148





1a

1b







Interpret proportional reasoning

recognise a ‘whole’ and ‘parts of a whole’ within everyday contexts

recognise that a whole object can be divided into equal parts

visualise and describe halves and quarters

visualise, describe and order tenths, hundredths, 1-place and 2-place decimals

visualise, describe and order equivalent fractions, decimals and simple percentages

visualise and describe the proportions of percentages, ratios and rates

illustrate and order relationships for fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates

Example • separating

objects or dividing materials into non-equal parts

Examples • fold or cut a

shape into equal parts

Examples • cutting an item of

food in half and then half again

Examples • putting the

amounts of money raised by different classes in a school fundraiser into order

Examples • explaining how to

make a drink using 20% fruit, 30% lemonade and 50% fruit juice

Examples • explaining the

sizes of different cultural groups as proportions of the population of the local community

Examples • calculating and

plotting the savings made on a variable interest rate mortgage for the past 5 years






Apply proportional reasoning

Level 1b is the starting point for this sub-element

identify quantities such as more, less and the same in everyday comparisons

solve problems using halves and quarters

solve problems using equivalent fractions for tenths, hundredths, 1-place and 2-place decimals

solve problems using equivalent fractions, decimals and simple percentages

solve problems using simple percentages, ratios and rates

solve problems involving fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates

Examples • pouring a liquid

equally into two containers or identifying that one storage container is larger than another

Examples • using kitchen

measuring equipment to show 2 half cup measures can be used instead of a 1 cup measure

Examples • finding the time

difference between the fastest and slowest times for a class Beep test

Examples • using migration

statistics to show which 50-year period in Australia’s history had the largest percentage of growth

Examples • comparing and

contrasting trends in migration from Asian countries to Australia since World War II

Examples • using proportional

reasoning to assess the impact of changes in society and significant events, for example population loss from the 1919



1a

1b







influenza epidemic







Using spatial reasoning


1a

1b







Visualise 2D shapes and 3D objects

sort or match objects according to their features

sort and name simple 2D shapes and 3D objects

identify, sort and describe common 2D shapes and 3D objects

visualise, sort, identify and describe symmetry, shapes and angles in the environment

visualise, sort, describe and compare the features of objects such as prisms and pyramids in the environment

visualise, describe and apply their understanding of the features and properties of 2D shapes and 3D objects

visualise, describe and analyse the way shapes and objects are combined and positioned in the environment for different purposes

Example • sorting objects by

features of shape, size, colour and function

Examples • grouping 2D

shapes and 3D objects by their features, colour and materials

Examples • creating a

structure using a variety of shapes

Examples • recording the

angles of the shots hit by a batsman in a cricket match

Examples • explaining why

some angles are used more frequently in built environments than others

Examples • identifying and

explaining key features of architecture in Qing China

Examples • explaining how

the design of buildings in the local community reflect their use


Mathematics ACMMG022 Science ACSIS038

English ACELA1483 Mathematics ACMMG066 Science ACSSU048

Mathematics ACMMG111 Science ACSSU078

Mathematics ACMMG161




1a

1b







Interpret maps and diagrams

demonstrate awareness of position of self and objects in relation to everyday contexts

follow directions to demonstrate understanding of common position words and movements

give and follow directions on maps and diagrams of familiar locations

interpret information, locate positions and describe routes on maps and diagrams using simple scales, legends and directional language

identify and describe routes and locations, using grid reference systems and directional language such as north or north east

create and interpret 2D and 3D maps, models and diagrams

create and interpret maps, models and diagrams using a range of mapping tools

Example • following actions

to a song or dance

Examples • using a diagram

or picture as a guide to building a model

Examples • using the

language of position and movement to direct a friend to a new location

Examples • creating and

labelling a diagram showing the location of historical features in the local community

Examples • using a street

map to describe how to locate a friend’s house

Examples • creating a map

showing the expansion of the Mongol Empire across Europe and Asia

Examples • using digital

mapping tools to show the movement of people in the transatlantic slave trade or convict transportation to Australia


Mathematics ACMMG044 Science ACSSU033 History ACHHK045

Mathematics ACMMG090 History ACHHK078

English ACELA1524 Mathematics ACMMG113 Science ACSSU096 History ACHHK094

History ACDSEH078

Science ACSSU190 History ACDSEH018


Interpreting statistical information


1a

1b







Interpret data displays

display information using real objects or photographs and respond to questions about the information displayed

recognise how to ask and answer simple data questions and interpret data in drawings or picture graphs

collect and describe data on a relevant issue based on one variable and display as lists, tables or picture graphs

collect record and display data as tables, diagrams, picture graphs and column graphs

collect, compare, describe and interpret data as 2-way tables, double column graphs and sector graphs, including from digital media

compare, interpret and assess the effectiveness of different data displays of the same information

evaluate media statistics and trends by linking claims to data displays, statistics and representative data

Example • displaying the

most popular activity in the class using photographs

Examples • asking class

members which football team they support and recording this information using the team logos

Examples • construct column

graphs and picture graphs to represent the amount of water wasted by a dripping tap over a week

Examples • presenting

evidence about the foods eaten by animals in a column graph


discussing line graphs about pulse rates when at rest and after activity

Examples • using secondary

data to investigate changes in the mean and median rainfalls and water consumption in different locations

• choosing the most effective data display to compare mean and median rainfalls and water consumption in different locations and justifying choice of display

Examples • using bar graphs

to compare food rations from World War II with their own food consumption

Mathematics ACMSP011 Science ACSIS014 History ACHHK001

Mathematics ACMSP048 Science ACSIS040 History ACHHS036







1a

1b







Interpret chance events

Level 1b is the starting point for this sub-element

recognise that some events might or might not happen

identify and describe familiar events that involve chance

describe possible outcomes from chance experiments using informal chance language and recognising variations in results

describe chance events and compare observed outcomes with predictions using numerical representations such as a 75% chance of rain or 50/50 chance of snow

describe and explain why the actual results of chance events are not always the same as expected results

explain the likelihood of multiple events occurring together by giving examples of situations when they might happen

Example • recognising • that it might or

might not rain tomorrow

Examples • discussing and

using the language of chance to describe the likelihood of events such as ‘will’, ‘won’t’ and ‘might’

Examples • understanding

and using terms denoting the likelihood of events, including colloquial terms such as ‘no way’, ‘for sure’


discussing the difference between predicted data and evidence when explaining the outcomes of an investigation

Examples • predicting and

comparing the outcomes of plant-cloning techniques in agriculture

Examples • rolling two die and

determining the probability of both displaying the same numbered face

Mathematics ACMSP024 Science ACSIS212


Mathematics ACMSP146 Science ACSHE098

Mathematics ACMSP205

Science ACSIS141



Using measurement


1a

1b







Estimate and measure with metric units

use informal language and/or actions to describe characteristics of length, temperature, mass, volume, capacity and area in familiar environments

measure by comparing objects and indicate if these measurements are the same or different

estimate, measure and order using direct and indirect comparisons and informal units to collect and record information about shapes and objects

estimate, measure and compare the length, temperature, volume, capacity and mass of everyday objects using metric units and scaled instruments

choose and use appropriate metric units for length, area, volume, capacity and mass to solve everyday problems

convert between common metric units for volume and capacity and use perimeter, area and volume formulas to solve authentic problems

solve complex problems involving surface area and volume of prisms and cylinders and composite solids

Example • using hand

gestures to describe the length of an object

Examples • comparing the

length of two objects and indicating which one is longer

Examples • using informal

measures to record observations, compare masses of objects using a balance scale, measure the heights of plants in hand spans

Examples • using a

thermometer to measure heating and cooling and recording results to the nearest half unit

Examples • using

measurements from maps, plans and other sources to describe historical buildings and the layout of settlements

Examples • estimating and

working out the area of a vegetable garden in square metres and calculating how much sugarcane mulch to buy to cover it

Examples • working out how

much space is taken up by kitchen cupboards in a kitchen design and the area of remaining walls that will need to be painted









1a

1b







Operate with clocks, calendars and timetables

sequence familiar actions and events in a variety of ways

sequence familiar actions and events using the everyday language of time

read digital and analogue clocks to the half and quarter hour, sequence events by months and seasons and identify a date on a calendar

read digital and analogue clocks to the minute, convert between hours and minutes, use 'am' and 'pm', and use calendars to locate and compare time events

convert between 12- and 24-hour systems to solve time problems, interpret and use timetables from print and digital sources

use 12- and 24-hour systems within a single time zone to solve time problems, and place personal and family events on an extended time scale

use 12- and 24-hour systems within a multiple time zone to solve time problems, use large and small timescales in complex contexts and place historical and scientific events on an extended time scale

Example • associating

familiar activities with times of the day or days of the week using pictorial, written or technology formats

Examples • retelling a familiar

story or sorting pictures from a familiar event into time order

Examples • developing a list

for celebrating class birthdays

Examples • calculating how

many hours are spent at school in the month of July

Examples • working out how

long it would take to get from home to the airport by bus or train

Examples • recording the

correct time when creating a new event in a social media website


correct time differences before phoning an overseas friend

English ACELT1580 Mathematics ACMMG007 Science ACSSU004 History ACHHS015

English ACELY1671 Mathematics ACMMG041 Science ACSSU019 History ACHHK029

Mathematics ACMMG086 Science ACSSU048 History ACHHS081





Information and communication technology (ICT) capability

Introduction

In the Australian Curriculum, students develop ICT capability as they learn to use ICT effectively and appropriately to access, create and communicate information and ideas, solve problems and work collaboratively in all learning areas at school, and in their lives beyond school. The capability involves students in learning to make the most of the digital technologies available to them, adapting to new ways of doing things as technologies evolve and limiting the risks to themselves and others in a digital environment.

The Melbourne Declaration on the Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA 2008) recognises that in a digital age, and with rapid and continuing changes in the ways that people share, use, develop and communicate with ICT, young people need to be highly skilled in its use. To participate in a knowledge-based economy and to be empowered within a technologically sophisticated society now and into the future, students need the knowledge, skills and confidence to make ICT work for them at school, at home, at work and in their communities.

Information and communication technologies are fast and automated, interactive and multimodal, and they support the rapid communication and representation of knowledge to many audiences and its adaptation in different contexts. They transform the ways that students think and learn and give them greater control over how, where and when they learn.

Scope of ICT capability

The nature and scope of ICT capability is not fixed, but is responsive to ongoing technological developments. This is evident in the emergence of advanced internet technology over the past few years and the resulting changes in the ways that students construct knowledge and interact with others.

Students develop capability in using ICT for tasks associated with information access and management, information creation and presentation, problem solving, decision making, communication, creative expression, and empirical reasoning. This includes conducting research, creating multimedia information products, analysing data, designing solutions to problems, controlling processes and devices, and supporting computation while working independently and in collaboration with others.

Students develop knowledge, skills and dispositions around ICT and its use, and the ability to transfer these across environments and applications. They learn to use ICT with confidence, care and consideration, understanding its possibilities, limitations and impact on individuals, groups and communities.

For a description of the organising elements for ICT capability, go to Organising elements.

ICT capability across the curriculum

ICT capability supports and enhances student learning across all areas of the curriculum. Students develop and apply ICT knowledge, skills and appropriate social and ethical


protocols and practices to investigate, create and communicate, as well as developing their ability to manage and operate ICT to meet their learning needs.

Learning areas provide the content and contexts within which students develop and apply the knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that comprise ICT capability.

ICT capability and the Technologies learning area

Information and communication technology is represented in two ways in the Australian Curriculum: through the ICT capability that applies across all learning areas and within the Technologies curriculum through Digital technologies. The ICT capability will be reviewed (and revised if necessary) to ensure that there is consistency with the Technologies curriculum following its development.

The ICT capability is addressed through the learning areas and is identified wherever it is developed or applied in content descriptions. It is also identified where it offers opportunities to add depth and richness to student learning in content elaborations. An icon indicates where ICT capability has been identified in learning area content descriptions and elaborations. A filter function on the Australian Curriculum website assists users to find where ICT capability has been identified in F–10 curriculum content. Teachers may find further opportunities to incorporate explicit teaching of ICT capability depending on their choice of activities. Students can also be encouraged to develop capability through personally relevant initiatives of their own design.

• Information and communication technology in English (http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/General-capabilities)

• Information and communication technology in Mathematics (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Mathematics/General-capabilities)

• Information and communication technology in Science (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Science/General-capabilities)

• Information and communication technology in History (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/History/General-capabilities)

Background

This background summarises the evidence base from which the ICT capability’s introduction, organising elements and learning continuum have been developed. It draws on recent international and national research, as well as initiatives and programs that focus on ICT across the curriculum.

ICT capability is based on sets of relevant knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions. Internationally, such capability is typically represented developmentally across interrelated domains or elements to show increasingly sophisticated experiences with the technology. For example, the ICT curriculum for England presents ‘lines of progression’ in strands and sub-strands. The National Education Technology Standards (NETS) for students provided by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) represent capability with six sets of standards. In Australia, the Statements of Learning for ICT were presented as five broadly defined conceptual organisers, representing key aspects of ICT that apply across








the curriculum. The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) has also identified a progression in research associated with the National Assessment Program – ICT Literacy.

Early researchers into ICT in education, such as Papert (1980) and Turkle (1984), considered that students constructed reality from experience and prior knowledge. The student interacts with the environment and, to cope with this environment, develops a conceptual framework to explain the interaction.

More recent theorists, such as Dede (2009), echo these earlier propositions even as technologies evolve, giving rise to the set of constructs upon which the ICT capability is based. In particular, the overarching element Applying social and ethical protocols and practices when using ICT addresses the personal, social and cultural contexts introduced by theorists such as Papert and Turkle.

ICT capability is based on the assumption that technologies are digital tools that enable the student to solve problems and carry out tasks. That is, the ICT system needs to suit the student and the task, while the student needs to develop an understanding of what the machine can do and an appreciation of the limitations under which it operates. In this way, students come to perceive ICT systems as useful tools rather than feeling that they themselves are the tools of the machine (Maas 1983). The latter often occurs when users have little information about how ICT systems operate and simply follow set, standard procedures, determined for them by the system.

Therefore, the ICT capability needs to take account of the types of tasks that provide authentic contexts for learning. The range of tasks is categorised into three sets: Investigating with ICT, Communicating with ICT and Creating with ICT. Students also need the knowledge and skills to use ICT based on an understanding of the ‘nature of the machine’. This is encompassed in the Managing and operating ICT element of the continuum.


References

Curriculum Corporation (2006), Statements of Learning for Information and Communication Technologies, (ICT) www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/SOL06_ICT.pdf, (accessed 14 October, 2011)

Dede, C. 2009, Comparing Frameworks for ‘21st Century Skills’: www.watertown.k12.ma.us/dept/ed_tech/research/pdf/ChrisDede.pdf (accessed 14 October 2011).

Department for Education 2011, The National Strategies: http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/16087 (accessed 14 October 2011).

Department for Education and Employment/Qualifications and Curriculum Authority 1999, Information and Communication Technology – The National Curriculum for England: http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/uploads/ICT%201999%20programme%20of%20study_tcm8-12058.pdf (accessed 14 October 2011).

International Society for Technology in Education 2007, Profiles for Technology (ICT) Literate Students: www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS-S_2007_Student_Profiles_EN.sflb.ashx (accessed 14 October 2011).

International Society for Technology in Education 2007, National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) and Performance Indicators for Students: www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students.aspx (accessed 14 October 2011).

Maas, S. (1983). Why systems transparency? In T. R. G. Green, S. J. Payne, & G. C. van der Veer (Eds.), Psychology of computer use (pp. 19-28). London: Academic Press.

Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs 2007, National Assessment Program – ICT Literacy: Years 6 and 10 Report 2005, Curriculum Corporation, Carlton South, Melbourne.

Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs 2010, National Assessment Program – ICT Literacy: Years 6 and 10 Report 2008, Curriculum Corporation, Carlton South, Melbourne.

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training & Youth Affairs 2008, Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians: www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf (accessed 14 October 2011).

Papert, S. 1980, Mindstorms: Children, Computers and Powerful Ideas, Harvester Press, New York.

Turkle, S. 1984, The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit, Simon & Schuster, New York.

WestEd 2009, Technological Literacy Framework for the 2012 National Assessment of Educational Progress, WestEd, San Francisco, CA.

http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/SOL06_ICT.pdf

http://www.watertown.k12.ma.us/dept/ed_tech/research/pdf/ChrisDede.pdf

http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/16087

http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/uploads/ICT%201999%20programme%20of%20study_tcm8-12058.pdf

http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/uploads/ICT%201999%20programme%20of%20study_tcm8-12058.pdf

http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS-S_2007_Student_Profiles_EN.sflb.ashx

http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS-S_2007_Student_Profiles_EN.sflb.ashx

http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students.aspx

http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students.aspx




Organising elements

The ICT capability learning continuum is organised into five interrelated elements:

• Applying social and ethical protocols and practices when using ICT • Investigating with ICT • Creating with ICT • Communicating with ICT • Managing and operating ICT


Organising elements for ICT capability

Applying social and ethical protocols and practices when using ICT

This element involves students in developing an understanding of intellectual property for digital information, and applying appropriate practices to recognise the intellectual property of themselves and others. Students use appropriate practices for the physical and logical storage and security of digital information, and apply appropriate protocols when using ICT to safely create, communicate or share information. They gain an understanding of the benefits and consequences of the use of ICT by individuals, groups and communities and the impact of the use of ICT on the fabric of society. In developing and acting with information and communication technology capability, students:

• recognise intellectual property

• apply digital information security practices

• apply personal security protocols

• identify the impacts of ICT in society.

Investigating with ICT

This element involves students in using ICT to define and plan information searches of a range of primary and secondary sources when investigating questions, topics or problems. Students use ICT to locate, access, generate, organise and/or analyse data and information


and apply criteria to verify the integrity and value of the digital data, information and sources. In developing and acting with information and communication technology capability, students:

• define and plan information searches • locate, generate and access data and information • select and evaluate data and information.

Creating with ICT

This element involves students in using ICT to generate ideas, plans and processes that clarify a task or steps in order to respond to questions, realise creative intentions and create solutions to challenges and tasks. Students use ICT to generate and manage digital solutions to challenges arising from learning activities or responding to a need or creative intention. In developing and acting with information and communication technology capability, students:

• generate ideas, plans and processes • generate solutions to challenges and learning area tasks.

Communicating with ICT

This element involves students in using ICT to communicate and share ideas and information to collaboratively construct knowledge and digital solutions. Students develop an understanding of the context when communicating using ICT, including a sense of the audience, the form of communication, the techniques used and the characteristics of the users and the technologies. In developing and acting with information and communication technology capability, students:

• collaborate, share and exchange • understand computer mediated communications.

Managing and operating ICT

This element involves students applying technical knowledge and skills to select, use and troubleshoot appropriate digital technologies when investigating, creating and communicating. Students develop an understanding of hardware and software components, and operations of appropriate ICT systems, including their functions, processes, procedures and devices. They apply technical knowledge and skills to efficiently and securely manage and maintain digital data. In developing and acting with information and communication technology capability, students:

• select and use hardware and software • understand ICT systems • manage digital data.


Information and Communication Technology Capability Learning Continuum

Applying social and ethical protocols and practices when using ICT

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6 Typically by the end of Foundation Year, students:






Recognise intellectual property

recognise ownership over their own digital work

recognise ownership of digital products that others produce and that what they create or provide can be used or misused by others

acknowledge when they use digital products created by someone else, and start to indicate the source

identify the legal obligations regarding the ownership and use of digital products and apply some referencing conventions

apply practices that comply with legal obligations regarding the ownership and use of digital products resources

identify and describe ethical dilemmas and consciously apply practices that protect intellectual property

Examples • recognising that they

own text, photos and videos they produce

Examples • understanding that they

should not copy someone else’s work without getting permission

Examples • explaining where an

image was sourced

Examples • listing all sources,

authors names and URLs of information they use

Examples • naming sources,

avoiding plagiarism, knowing what may or may not be copied, checking for permissions and legal obligations before publishing of work

Examples • understanding that

pirating denies musicians payment for their work, understanding Creative Commons licensing

Apply digital information security practices follow class rules about using digital information

follow class rules about applying selected standard guidelines and techniques to secure digital information

independently apply standard guidelines and techniques for particular digital systems to secure digital information

independently apply strategies for determining and protecting the security of digital information and assess the risks associated with online environments

independently apply strategies for determining the appropriate type of digital information suited to the location of storage and adequate security for online environments

use a range of strategies for securing and protecting information, assess the risks associated with online environments and establish appropriate security strategies and codes of conduct

Examples • participating in a class

discussion about why personal information should not be used

Examples • recognising that when

logging onto the network they are only able to access their

Examples • saving to their own

folder or device, logging on to server and email using a

Examples • checking whether a

friend can access the information, checking whether someone else

Examples • not storing private

information on public online sites, setting user access and

Examples • using complex

security settings for online sites; varying password structures;








online own folders or accounts • only logging on to class

computer with their own username and password

personal password can find the web link to their online posts, using non-predictable user names and passwords

privacy parameters separating information with folders or sites and understanding how to modify default parameters within social networking sites

Apply personal security protocols

follow class rules when sharing personal information with known audiences and demonstrate an awareness of applying social protocols when using ICT to communicate

follow class guidelines when sharing personal information and apply basic social protocols when using ICT to communicate with known audiences

apply standard guidelines and take action to avoid the common dangers to personal security when using ICT and apply appropriate basic social protocols when using ICT to communicate with unknown audiences

identify the risks to identity, privacy and emotional safety for themselves when using ICT and apply generally accepted social protocols when sharing information in online environments, taking into account different social and cultural contexts

identify and value the rights to identity, privacy and emotional safety for themselves and others when using ICT and apply generally accepted social protocols when using ICT to collaborate with local and global communities

independently apply appropriate strategies to protect rights, identity, privacy and emotional safety of others when using ICT, and discriminate between protocols suitable for different communication tools when collaborating with local and global communities

Examples • making a digital

recording about their family that does not offend or upset the viewer

Examples • messaging only to

people they know, only allowing certain people to access their online space; keeping passwords secret; addressing recipients appropriately in emails, videos or posts

Examples • sharing personal

photographs only in appropriate environments; using polite but impersonal language in posted messages; recognising forms of cyber bullying

Examples • understanding the

dangers of providing personal information; recognising and reporting cyber bullying; only posting a photo with the owner’s permission; not revealing details of identity; avoiding language offensive to particular groups of people; actively avoiding incidences of cyber bullying

Examples • forwarding personal

communications from friends only with permission; being aware of time zones and differences in meaning of terms and concepts due to location and culture; using the bcc email field; recognising when others are being cyber bullied

Examples • analysing possible

consequences of posting personal information on social networking sites; taking responsibility for the effect of their communications on other people; using appropriate salutations; adjusting length and formality of message to suit form of communication; independently employing anti-cyber bullying strategies








Identify the impacts of ICT in society

identify how they use ICT in multiple ways on multiple devices

identify how ICT is used at home and at school

identify the value and role of ICT use at home and school

explain the main uses of ICT at school, home and in the local community, and recognise its potential positive and negative impacts on their lives

explain the benefits and risks of the use of ICT for particular people in work and home environments

assess the impact of ICT in the workplace and in society, and speculate on its role in the future and how they can influence its use

Examples • taking a photo or

playing a digital game with a phone, using a simulation or reading an online book on a tablet

Examples • identifying how ICT is

used in personal communicating, shopping, banking, finding information, keeping class information, online lunch ordering

Examples • valuing ICT as a quick

method to find information; playing games with friends; taking virtual tours; observing events in real time

Examples • ordering food from

restaurants using a mobile devices, or scanning QR codes to access information

Examples • explaining that Voice

Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) allows people to stay in touch, some people’s jobs are replaced by computers, worker productivity may increase when computers are used

Examples • recognising the

potential of enhanced inclusivity for people with disability through ICT, the digital divide, new types of work, globalisation

Mathematics ACMSP148 English ACELA1528 Mathematics ACMSP284

English ACELA1551 Science ACSHE158

Investigating with ICT







Define and plan information searches

use ICT to identify where information is located

use ICT to identify, record and classify textual and graphic information to show what is known and what needs to be

use ICT to plan an information search or generation of information, recognising some pattern within the information,

use a range of ICT to identify and represent patterns in sets of information and to pose questions to guide searching for, or

use a range of ICT to analyse information in terms of implicit patterns and structures as a basis to plan an information

select and use a range of ICT independently and collaboratively, analyse information to frame questions and plan search strategies or data








investigated generating, further information

search or generation generation

Examples • using icon based

programs to locate information

Examples • using colour coding

and drawing software to show steps in a sequence

Examples • listing what

information is required and suggesting where it may be located, creating methods of recording data from experiments

Examples • using tables, charts

and graphic organisers such as concept maps

Examples • using graphic

organisers to plan a search with links to sources

Examples • using wikis or other

shared documents; searching databases

Mathematics ACMMG045 Science ACSIS039 History ACHHK044


English ACELY1712 MathematicsACMSP119 Science ACSIS086 History ACHHS120

Mathematics ACMNA174 Science ACSIS125 History ACHHS208

Science ACSIS165 History ACHHS168

Locate, generate and access data and information use icons to locate or generate required information

locate information from a given set of digital sources

locate, retrieve or generate information from a range of digital sources

locate, retrieve or generate information using search engines and simple search functions and classify information in meaningful ways

locate, retrieve or generate information using search facilities and organise information in meaningful ways

use advanced search tools and techniques or simulations and digital models to locate or generate precise data and information that supports the development of new understandings

Example • making choices from

icon-based menus

Examples • locating information

following hyperlinks; printing pages; copying and pasting text and images; experimenting in a simulation environment to test decisions

Examples • locating information

by typing in simple URLs; saving text and images; collecting data from a simulation environment

Examples • searching and

locating files within school directory; searching across web or within site; organising in folders, tables or databases, using simulations to generate and organise information on real world

Examples • searching within

document – find/search/buttons/tabs; using search strings; accessing primary data through online or local equipment; using simulation tools to test hypotheses to

Examples • using logical

statements such as true/false; searching within fields or for data type; using data logger equipment, digital microscope; using digital models to test and adjust hypotheses to








problems

problems

problems

English ACELY1649 English ACELY1660 Mathematics ACMMG045 Science ACSIS026 History ACHHK044


EnglishACELY17123 Mathematics ACMSP145 Science ACSIS104 History ACHHS101



Select and evaluate data and information

explain how located data or information was used

explain the usefulness of located data or information

explain why located data or information was selected

assess the suitability of data or information using a range of appropriate given criteria

assess the suitability of data or information using appropriate own criteria

develop and use criteria systematically to evaluate the quality, suitability and credibility of located data or information and sources

Example • explaining how digital

information was used in an activity

Examples • explaining how digital

information answers a question

Examples • explaining why a

source of digital information was used or trusted in preference to another

Examples • selecting the most

useful/reliable/relevant digital resource from a set of three or four alternatives

Examples • applying criteria

developed for an enquiry or project; considering the adequacy of source of information

Examples • comparing objective

data from multiple digital sources to evaluate the likely credibility of the information provided

English ACELA1793 Mathematics ACMNA057 History ACHHS068


English ACELY1734 Science ACSIS125 History ACDSEH030



Creating with ICT







Generate ideas, plans and processes

use ICT to follow or contribute to a simple plan for a solution

use ICT to prepare simple plans to find solutions or answers to questions

use ICT to generate ideas and plan solutions

use ICT effectively to record ideas, represent thinking and plan solutions

use appropriate ICT to collaboratively generate ideas and develop plans

select and use ICT to articulate ideas and concepts, and plan the development of complex solutions

Examples • using online and

multimedia short sequence of instructions; contributing to a class digital product plan

Examples • drawing simple mind

maps using conceptual mapping software; using drawing software to show steps in a sequence

Examples • using tables, photos

and sketches in planning documents

Examples • using timeline

software to plan processes; using concept mapping and brainstorming software to generate key ideas; using graphic and audio visual software to record ideas

Examples • sharing documents

including text, graphics and numbers

Examples • using software to

create hyperlinks, tables and charts; using design and project planning software

English ACELY1674 English ACELY1682 Science ACSIS054

History ACHHK078

English ACELY1704 Mathematics ACMNA123 Science ACSIS086


English ACELY1751

Generate solutions to challenges and learning area tasks use ICT as a creative tool to generate simple solutions, modifications or data representations for personal or school purposes

experiment with ICT as a creative tool to generate simple solutions, modifications or data representations for particular audiences or purposes

create and modify simple digital solutions, creative outputs or data representation/transformation for particular purposes

independently or collaboratively create and modify digital solutions, creative outputs or data representation/transformation for particular audiences and purposes

design and modify simple digital solutions, or multimodal creative outputs or data transformations for particular audiences and purposes following recognised conventions

Design, modify and manage complex digital solutions, or multimodal creative outputs or data transformations for a range of audiences and purposes








Examples • using appropriate

software to enter text, images, audio and numbers; editing a class-created digital product; representing a data set in a digital product

Examples • using the basic

functionality of selected software to manipulate text, images, audio and numbers; representing data numerically or graphically; editing own work and that of others

Examples • editing text, images,

audio, and video for presentations and story-telling; transforming data between numerical and graphical digital representation; applying editing strategies

Examples • manipulating and

combining images, text, video and sound for presentations; creating podcasts; applying purposeful editing and refining processes

Examples • creating movies,

animations, websites and music; programming games; using spread sheets; managing and editing original source materials

Examples • modelling solutions in

spread sheets, creating movies, animations, websites and music; programming games; using databases; creating web pages for visually impaired users; using advanced functions to manage and edit digital products for desired effects

English ACELY1651 History ACHHS022

English ACELY1664 Mathematics ACMMG042 History ACHHS054

English ACELY1685 Mathematics ACMMG091 History ACHHS071



English ACELT1773 Mathematics ACMNA229 Science ACSIS203 History ACHHS193

Communicating with ICT







Collaborate, share and exchange

use purposefully selected ICT tools safely to view information shared by trusted adults

use purposefully selected ICT tools safely to share and exchange information with appropriate local audiences

use appropriate ICT tools safely to share and exchange information with appropriate known audiences

select and use appropriate ICT tools safely to share and exchange information and to safely collaborate with others

select and use appropriate ICT tools safely to lead groups in sharing and exchanging information, and taking part in online projects or active collaborations with

select and use a range of ICT tools efficiently and safely to share and exchange information, and to collaboratively and purposefully construct knowledge








appropriate global audiences

Examples • viewing information

placed on a secure site by the teacher

Examples • using class online

discussion board or blog to read and post electronic messages; composing a message and sending it with support

Examples • using emails and

online discussion boards to read and post electronic messages

Examples • contributing to the

content of a wiki; blogging and posting to bulletin boards

Examples • setting up a wiki or

blog for an associated user group

Examples • using online

applications and management tools for collaborative projects such as online portals, wikis; using common social networking tools for strategic purposes



English ACELT1794 History ACHHS087

EnglishACELY1711 Science ACSIS107 History ACHHS125



Understand computer mediated communications

understand that messages are recorded, viewed or sent in computer mediated communications for others to receive

understand that computer mediated communications may be received later by the receiver

understand that computer mediated communications are directed to an audience for a purpose

understand that particular forms of computer mediated communications and tools are suited to synchronous or asynchronous and one-to-one or group communications

understand that there are various methods of collaboration through computer mediated communications that vary in form and control

understand that computer mediated communications have advantages and disadvantages in supporting active participation in a community of practice and the management of collaboration on digital materials

Examples • understanding that a

response to a question on an online environment will be


communication on a blog may be viewed


text message may be sent to one or more

Examples • understanding

differences in the characteristics, features and use of


characteristics, features and use of electronic learning


advantages and disadvantages of using websites and








received by the teacher

later by other students

persons

Skype compared with blogs or wikis

environments for collaborating

online environments for managing collaboration

English ACELY1784

English ACELY1671

English ACELY16942 English ACELT1618 Science ACSIS110 History ACHHS106

English ACELY1808 Science ACSIS148

Science ACSIS208

Managing and operating ICT







Select and use hardware and software identify and safely operate ICT systems to complete relevant simple specified tasks and seek help when encountering a problem

identify and safely operate a selected range of appropriate devices, software, functions and commands when operating an ICT system and attempt to solve a problem before seeking help

identify and independently operate a range of devices, software, functions and commands, taking into consideration ergonomics when operating appropriate ICT systems, and seek solutions when encountering a problem

select from, and safely operate, a range of devices to undertake specific tasks and use basic troubleshooting procedures to solve routine malfunctions

independently select and operate a range of devices by adjusting relevant software functions to suit specific tasks, and independently use common troubleshooting procedures to solve routine malfunctions

justify the selection of, and optimise the operation of, a selected range of devices and software functions to complete specific tasks, for different purposes and in different social contexts

Examples • selecting and using a

camera to take a photograph or using a printer to print a picture, using a tablet, notebook or desktop computer to read a book or draw a picture; knowing when something has not worked as expected

Examples • using page layout

software for posters, using a mouse, USB flash drive, printer, digital camera, or robot supervised by the teacher; taking initial steps in coping with the unexpected and then seeking help

Examples • using a camera, a

microphone and slideshow software to create a presentation, adjusting the placement and orientation of the mouse, keyboard and screen to ensure ease and comfort when using; attempting to

Examples • selecting specific

graphics software or graphic tools in word processors, using printer queues, file servers, scanners, probes, digital cameras

Examples • selecting a spread

sheet to model a budget or a fast processor to edit movies, adjusting digital camera settings, creating shortcuts

Examples • selecting an

appropriate option for creating a website such as an online tool or an HTML editor, altering toolbars, sorting and layout functions; using duplex printing; setting proxies; using filters to divert junk








and seeking help

resolve a technical problem

mail; optimising the functions and features of online tools for a particular purpose

English ACELY1654

English ACELY1674 English ACELY1697

Mathematics ACMNA076 Science ACSIS066

English ACELY1717

Science ACSIS105

English ACELY1738

Science ACSIS141 English ACELY1748 Science ACSIS200

Understand ICT systems identify common consumer ICT systems with input and output functions

identify the main components of common consumer ICT systems, their fundamental functions, and describe them using basic ICT terminology

identify and compare the use of the main components of different ICT systems

identify, compare and classify basic ICT system components

identify and compare networked ICT system components including between hardware, software and data

apply an understanding of networked ICT system components to make changes to functions, processes, procedures and devices to fit the purpose of the solutions

Examples • identifying and/or

listing different ICT systems such as desktop, notebook, tablet and mobile systems

Examples • identifying basic

hardware and peripherals, such as mouse, keyboard, monitor, printer, and some software programs, such as word processing, drawing and paint software

Examples • comparing the use of

a touch screen and apps on a mobile with mouse and applications on a desktop computer


uses of standard input, processing, output and storage components such as, input – keyboard, microphone; process – central processing unit; output –monitor, speakers, projector; storage – cloud, USB, hard drive; understanding the use and role of system and application software

Examples • identifying and

comparing the concepts of local area networks, server-client networks, cloud systems, saving files in differing formats so that they are compatible across different software platforms

Examples • applying their

understanding to decide whether to use cloud, local server or local storage; deciding whether to use a webcam or digital video camera

English ACELY1711








Manage digital data

save and retrieve digital data with support

manage and maintain digital data with guidance

manage and maintain digital data using common methods

manage and maintain data on different storage mediums – locally and on networks

manage and maintain data for groups of users using a variety of methods and systems

manage and maintain data securely in a variety of storage mediums and formats

Examples • using the Save and

Open functions on an application

Examples • saving and retrieving

data; providing unique names for files; applying basic functions such as opening and dragging-and dropping files

Examples • managing and

maintaining lists, favourites, bookmarks, folders and files

Examples • saving/exporting data

in files of different formats; routinely backing up and protecting data; moving data from one location to another

Examples • setting up and

maintaining shared folders

Examples • designing and using

logical and sustainable file/folder naming conventions; maintaining version control of documents; limiting access to data by location or password

Science ACSIS039


Science ACSIS104 Science ACSIS141 Science ACSIS199


Critical and creative thinking Introduction

In the Australian Curriculum, students develop capability in critical and creative thinking as they learn to generate and evaluate knowledge, clarify concepts and ideas, seek possibilities, consider alternatives and solve problems. Critical and creative thinking are integral to activities that require students to think broadly and deeply using skills, behaviours and dispositions such as reason, logic, resourcefulness, imagination and innovation in all learning areas at school and in their lives beyond school.

The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA 2008) recognises that critical and creative thinking are fundamental to students becoming successful learners. Thinking that is productive, purposeful and intentional is at the centre of effective learning. By applying a sequence of thinking skills, students develop an increasingly sophisticated understanding of the processes they can employ whenever they encounter problems, unfamiliar information and new ideas. In addition, the progressive development of knowledge about thinking and the practice of using thinking strategies can increase students’ motivation for, and management of, their own learning. They become more confident and autonomous problem-solvers and thinkers.

Responding to the challenges of the twenty-first century – with its complex environmental, social and economic pressures – requires young people to be creative, innovative, enterprising and adaptable, with the motivation, confidence and skills to use critical and creative thinking purposefully.

Scope of Critical and creative thinking

This capability combines two types of thinking – critical thinking and creative thinking. Though the two are not interchangeable, they are strongly linked, bringing complementary dimensions to thinking and learning.

Critical thinking is at the core of most intellectual activity that involves students in learning to recognise or develop an argument, use evidence in support of that argument, draw reasoned conclusions, and use information to solve problems. Examples of thinking skills are interpreting, analysing, evaluating, explaining, sequencing, reasoning, comparing, questioning, inferring, hypothesising, appraising, testing and generalising.

Creative thinking involves students in learning to generate and apply new ideas in specific contexts, seeing existing situations in a new way, identifying alternative explanations, and seeing or making new links that generate a positive outcome. This includes combining parts to form something original, sifting and refining ideas to discover possibilities, constructing theories and objects, and acting on intuition. The products of creative endeavour can involve complex representations and images, investigations and performances, digital and computer-generated output, or occur as virtual reality.

Concept formation is the mental activity that helps us compare, contrast and classify ideas, objects, and events. Concept learning can be concrete or abstract and is closely allied with metacognition. What has been learned can be applied to future examples. It underpins the elements outlined below.


Dispositions such as inquisitiveness, reasonableness, intellectual flexibility, open- and fair-mindedness, a readiness to try new ways of doing things and consider alternatives, and persistence both promote and are enhanced by critical and creative thinking.

Critical and creative thinking can be encouraged simultaneously through activities that integrate reason, logic, imagination and innovation; for example, focusing on a topic in a logical, analytical way for some time, sorting out conflicting claims, weighing evidence, thinking through possible solutions, and then, following reflection and perhaps a burst of creative energy, coming up with innovative and considered responses. Critical and creative thinking are communicative processes that develop both flexibility and precision. Communication is integral to each of the thinking processes. By sharing thinking, visualisation and innovation, and by giving and receiving effective feedback, students learn to value the diversity of learning and communication styles.

For a description of the organising elements for Critical and creative thinking, go to Organising elements.

Critical and creative thinking across the curriculum

The imparting of knowledge (content) and the development of thinking skills are accepted today as primary purposes of education. The explicit teaching and embedding of Critical and creative thinking throughout the learning areas encourages students to engage in higher order thinking. By using logic and imagination, and by reflecting on how they best tackle issues, tasks and challenges, students are increasingly able to select from a range of thinking strategies and employ them selectively and spontaneously in an increasing range of learning contexts.

Activities that foster critical and creative thinking should include both independent and collaborative tasks, and entail some sort of transition or tension between ways of thinking. They should be challenging and engaging, and contain approaches that are within the ability range of the learners, but also challenge them to think logically, reason, be open-minded, seek alternatives, tolerate ambiguity, inquire into possibilities, be innovative risk-takers and use their imagination.

Critical and creative thinking is addressed through the learning areas and is identified wherever it is developed or applied in content descriptions. It is also identified where it offers opportunities to add depth and richness to student learning in content elaborations. An icon indicates where Critical and creative thinking has been identified in learning area content descriptions and elaborations. A filter function on the Australian Curriculum website assists users to identify F–10 curriculum content where Critical and creative thinking has been identified. Teachers may find further opportunities to incorporate explicit teaching of Critical and creative thinking depending on their choice of activities. Students can also be encouraged to develop capability through personally relevant initiatives of their own design.

• Critical and creative thinking in English (http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/General-capabilities)

• Critical and creative thinking in Mathematics (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Mathematics/General-capabilities)





• Critical and creative thinking in Science (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Science/General-capabilities)

• Critical and creative thinking in History

(www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/History/General-capabilities)

Background

This background summarises the evidence base from which the Critical and creative thinking capability’s introduction, organising elements and learning continuum have been developed. It draws on foundational and recent international and national research, as well as initiatives and programs that focus on critical and creative thinking across the curriculum.

Critical and creative thinking are variously characterised by theorists as dispositions (Tishman, Perkins and Jay; Ritchhart, Church and Morrison), taxonomies of skills (Bloom; Anderson, Krathwohl et al.), habits and frames of mind (Costa and Kallick; Gardner; de Bono), thinking strategies (Marzano, Pickering and Pollock), and philosophical inquiry (Lipman, Sharp and Oscanyan). Each of these approaches has informed the development of the Critical and creative thinking capability.

The capability is concerned with the encouragement of skills and learning dispositions or tendencies towards particular patterns of intellectual behaviour. These include being broad, flexible and adventurous thinkers, making plans and being strategic, demonstrating metacognition, and displaying intellectual perseverance and integrity. Students learn to skilfully and mindfully use thinking dispositions or ‘habits of mind’ such as risk taking and managing impulsivity (Costa and Kallick 2000) when confronted with problems to which solutions are not immediately apparent.

Both Gardner (1994) and Robinson (2009) emphasise that we need to understand and capitalise on the natural aptitudes, talents and passions of students – they may be highly visual, or think best when they are moving, or listening, or reading. Critical and creative thinking are fostered through opportunities to use dispositions such as broad and adventurous thinking, reflecting on possibilities, and metacognition (Perkins 1995), and can result from intellectual flexibility, open-mindedness, adaptability and a readiness to experiment with and clarify new questions and phenomena (Gardner 2009). Recent discoveries in neuroscience have furthered theories about thinking, the brain, perception and the link between cognition and emotions. Theorists believe that learning is enhanced when rich environments contain multiple stimuli, stressing the importance of engaging the mind’s natural curiosity through complex and meaningful challenges.

Educational taxonomies map sequences of skills and processes considered to be foundational and essential for learning. The most well-known of these, developed by Bloom et al. (1956), divided educational objectives into domains where learning at the higher levels was dependent on having attained prerequisite knowledge and skills at lower levels. In 1967, Bruner and colleagues described the process of concept learning as an active process in which learners construct new concepts or ideas based on their knowledge.

The philosophical inquiry model, first applied to school education by Lipman, Sharp and Oscanyan (1980), has two major elements: critical and creative thinking, and forming a classroom environment called a ‘community of inquiry’, to support the development of





thinking and discussion skills. This model places emphasis on possibilities and meanings, wondering, reasoning, rigour, logic, and using criteria for measuring the quality of thinking.

Lave and Wenger (1991) described ‘learning communities’ that value their collective competence and learn from each other. Through their notion of ‘authentic’ learning, the importance of engagement and linking student interests and preferred learning modes with classroom learning has emerged. Marzano, Pickering and Pollock (2001) identified the strategies most likely to improve student achievement across all content areas and grade levels. These include using non-linguistic representations and learning organisers, and generating and testing hypotheses.

In 2001, Anderson and Krathwohl changed Bloom’s cognitive process of ‘synthesis’ to ‘creativity’ and made it the highest level of intellectual functioning. They believed the ability to create required the production of an original idea or a product from a unique synthesis of discrete elements.

Twenty-first century learning theories emphasise the importance of supporting authentic and ubiquitous (anywhere, anyhow) learning, and providing students with opportunities, resources and spaces to develop their creative and critical thinking skills (Newton and Fisher 2009; McGuinness 1999, 2010). Gardner’s (2009) five ‘minds’ for the future – the disciplined, synthesising, creating, respectful and ethical minds – offers a helpful starting place. Learners need to develop the skills to analyse and respond to authentic situations through inquiry, imagination and innovation.


References

Anderson, L., Krathwohl, D., et al. (eds) 2001, A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: a revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives, Allyn & Bacon, Boston, MA.

Bloom, B., Englehart, M., Furst, E., Hill, W. & Krathwohl, D. 1956, Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: the classification of educational goals. Handbook I: Cognitive Domain, David McKay, New York.

Bruner, J., Goodnow, J.J. & Austin, G.A. 1967, A Study of Thinking, Science Editions, New York.

Costa, A.L. & Kallick, B. 2000–2001b, Habits of Mind, Search Models Unlimited, Highlands Ranch, Colorado: www.instituteforhabitsofmind.com/ (accessed 10 October 2011).

Costa, A. & Kallick, B. (eds) 2004, Discovering and Exploring Habits of Mind, Hawker Brownlow Education, Heatherton, Melbourne.

deBono, E. 2009, CoRT 1 Breadth Tools, The McQuaig Group Inc.: www.deBonoForSchools.com (accessed 10 October 2011).

Erickson, H.L. 2006, Concept-based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom, Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, California: www.sagepub.com/upm-data/11469_Erickson_Ch_1.pdf (accessed 10 October 2011).

Gardner, H. 1993, Frames of Mind: the theory of multiple intelligences, Fontana Press, UK.

Gardner, H. 1994, Multiple Intelligences: the theory in practice, Harper Collins, New York.

Gardner, H. 2009, 5 Minds for the Future, McGraw-Hill, North Ryde, Sydney.

Lave, J. & Wenger, E. 1991, Situated Learning: legitimate peripheral participation, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, MA.

Lipman, M., Sharp, M. & Oscanyan, F. 1980, Philosophy in the Classroom, Temple University Press, Philadelphia.

Marzano, R., Pickering, D. & Pollock, J. 2001, Classroom Instruction That Works, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, Virginia.

McGuinness, C. 1999, From Thinking Skills to Thinking Classrooms: a review and evaluation of approaches for developing pupils’ thinking, Research Report No. 115, Department for Education and Employment, Norwich, UK.

McGuinness, C. 2010, Thinking and Metacognition video, The Journey to Excellence series, HMle – Improving Scottish Education: www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk/videos/expertspeakers/metacognitioncarolmcguinness.asp (accessed 10 October 2011).

Newton, C., & Fisher, K. 2009, Take 8. Learning Spaces: the transformation of educational spaces for the 21st century, The Australian Institute of Architects, ACT.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Bloom

http://www.instituteforhabitsofmind.com/

http://www.debonoforschools.com/

http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/11469_Erickson_Ch_1.pdf

http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/11469_Erickson_Ch_1.pdf

http://www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk/videos/expertspeakers/metacognitioncarolmcguinness.asp


Perkins, D. 1995, The Intelligent Eye: learning to think by looking at art, Getty Centre for the Arts, California.

Ritchhart, R., Church, M. & Morrison, K. 2011, Making Thinking Visible: how to promote engagement, understanding, and independence for all learners, John Wiley & Sons, Stafford, Queensland.

Robinson, K., ‘Education systems too narrow’, ABC 7.30 Report (16 June 2009): www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2009/s2600125.htm (accessed 10 October 2011).

Tishman, S., Perkins, D. & Jay, E. 1995, The Thinking Classroom: learning and teaching in a culture of thinking, Allyn & Bacon, Boston.

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2009/s2600125.htm


Organising elements

The Critical and creative thinking learning continuum is organised into four interrelated elements, each detailing differing aspects of thinking. The elements are not a taxonomy of thinking. Rather, each makes its own contribution to learning and needs to be explicitly and simultaneously developed.

• Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas • Generating ideas, possibilities and actions • Reflecting on thinking and processes • Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures


Organising elements for Critical and creative thinking

Inquiring – identifying, exploring and clarifying information and ideas

This element involves students in posing questions and identifying and clarifying information and ideas, followed by organising and processing information. When inquiring – identifying, exploring and clarifying information and ideas, students use questioning to investigate and analyse ideas and issues, make sense of and assess information and ideas, and collect, compare and evaluate information from a range of sources. In summary, inquiring primarily consists of:

• pose questions • identify and clarify information and ideas • organise and process information.

Generating ideas, possibilities and actions

This element involves students in imagining possibilities and connecting ideas through considering alternatives and seeking solutions and putting ideas into action. Students create new, and expand on known, ideas. They explore situations and generate alternatives to guide actions and experiment with and assess options and actions when seeking solutions. In summary, generating primarily consists of:


• imagine possibilities and connect ideas • consider alternatives • seek solutions and put ideas into action.

Reflecting on thinking and processes

This element involves students thinking about thinking (metacognition), reflecting on actions and processes, and transferring knowledge into new contexts to create alternatives or open up possibilities. Students reflect on, adjust and explain their thinking and identify the thinking behind choices, strategies and actions taken. They apply knowledge gained in one context to clarify another. In summary, reflecting primarily consists of:

• think about thinking (metacognition) • reflect on processes • transfer knowledge into new contexts.

Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures

This element involves students in applying logic and reasoning, drawing conclusions and designing a course of action and evaluating procedures and outcomes. Students consider and assess the logic and reasoning behind choices, they differentiate components of decisions made and actions taken and assess ideas, methods and outcomes against criteria. In summary, analysing primarily consists of:

• apply logic and reasoning • draw conclusions and design a course of action • evaluate procedures and outcomes.


Critical and Creative Thinking Learning Continuum

Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas








Pose questions

pose factual and exploratory questions based on personal interests and experiences

pose questions to identify and clarify issues, and compare information in their world

pose questions to expand their knowledge about the world

pose questions to clarify and interpret information and probe for causes and consequences

pose questions to probe assumptions and investigate complex issues

pose questions to critically analyse complex issues and abstract ideas

Examples

• asking why events make people happy or sad

Examples

• asking how and why certain actions and events occurred

Examples

• asking who, when, how and why about a range of situations and events

Examples

• inquiring into cause and effect of significant events in their lives

Examples

• questioning causes and effects of local and world events

Examples

• questioning to uncover assumptions and inferences and provoke debate about global events

English ACELT1783 Science ACSIS014 History ACHHS017

English ACELA1589 Mathematics ACMSP048 Science ACSHE034 History ACHHS049



English ACELT1628 Science ACSIS139 History ACHHS150


Identify and clarify information and ideas

identify and describe familiar information and ideas during a discussion or investigation

identify and explore information and ideas from source materials

identify main ideas and select and clarify information from a range of sources

identify and clarify relevant information and prioritise ideas

clarify information and ideas from texts or images when exploring challenging issues

clarify complex information and ideas drawn from a range of sources

Examples Examples Examples Examples Examples Examples









• identifying what led to a decision being made


• exploring patterns and similarities

• establishing a sequence during investigation of artefact, image or text

• giving reasons for a preferred pathway when problem solving

• identifying the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches

• scrutinising contrasting positions offered about events or findings

English ACELA1786 Mathematics ACMMG007

English ACELA1460

Mathematics ACMNA026 Science ACSIS038

History ACHHK051

English ACELT1602 Mathematics ACMMG084 Science ACIS216

History ACHHSK084

English ACELT1602 Mathematics ACMMG142 Science ACSHE081

History ACHHS121


History ACCHS154

English ACELY1749 Mathematics ACMSP246 Science ACSIS203

History ACHHS186

Organise and process information gather similar information or depictions from given sources

organise information based on similar or relevant ideas from several sources

collect, compare and categorise facts and opinions found in a widening range of sources

analyse, condense and combine relevant information from multiple sources

critically analyse information and evidence according to criteria such as validity and relevance

critically analyse independently sourced information to determine bias and reliability

Examples

• collecting a variety of representations of particular action(s)

Examples

• finding examples of kindness or change in several sources

Examples

• processing relevant depictions of an event

Examples

• establishing opinion versus fact in literature and film

Examples

• scrutinising the accuracy of depicted events

Examples

• critiquing data from known and unknown sources

English ACELA1430

Science ACSSU005 History ACHHS019

English ACELA1469

Mathematics ACMMG037 Science ACISIS040 History ACHHK050

English ACELA1489


English ACELY1708

Mathematics ACMMG141 Science ACSIS090 History ACHHS122

English ACELT1626

Mathematics ACMSP205 Science ACSIS141 History ACCHS151

English ACELT1639

Mathematics ACMSP253 Science ACSIS199 History ACCHS189


Generating ideas, possibilities and actions








Imagine possibilities and connect ideas

use imagination to view or create things in new ways and connect two things that seem different

build on what they know to create ideas and possibilities in ways that are new to them

expand on known ideas to create new and imaginative combinations

combine ideas in a variety of ways and from a range of sources to create new possibilities

draw parallels between known and new ideas to create new ways of achieving goals

create and connect complex ideas using imagery, analogies and symbolism

Examples

• changing the shape or colour of familiar objects

Examples

• using a flow chart when plotting actions

Examples

• exchanging or combining ideas using mind maps

Examples

• by matching ideas from science and history

Examples

• using patterns and trends in Mathematics to arrive at possible solutions in other learning areas

Examples

• developing hypotheses based on known and invented models and theories


English ACELT1591 Mathematics ACMSP047 Science ACSIS037

History ACHHS052

English ACELT1607 Mathematics ACMMG088 Science ACSIS053

English ACELT1618 Mathematics ACMSP147 Science ACSIS107

Mathematics ACMMG197 Science ACSHE134 History ACHHS148

English ACELY1756 Mathematics ACMNA239 History ACHHS192

Consider alternatives suggest alternative and creative ways to approach a given situation or task

identify and compare creative ideas to think broadly about a given situation or problem

explore situations using creative thinking strategies to propose a range of alternatives

identify situations where current approaches do not work, challenge existing ideas and generate alternative solutions

generate alternatives and innovative solutions, and adapt ideas, including when information is limited or conflicting

speculate on creative options to modify ideas when circumstances change

Examples

• considering alternative uses for a familiar product

Examples

• considering ways of conserving water in their environment

Examples

• asking ‘What if..?’ when conducting an investigation

Examples

• examining the environmental impact of transporting goods

Examples

• negotiating a solution to a community dispute

Examples

• submitting designed and developed ideas or products for further









investigation

English ACELY1651

Mathematics ACMMG006 History ACHHS020

English ACELLY1665


English ACELY1694

Mathematics ACMSP095 Science ACSIS065 History ACHHK080

English ACELT1800


English ACELY1736

Mathematics ACMMG199 Science ACSHE135 History ACHHS155

History ACHHS193

Seek solutions and put ideas into action

predict what might happen in a given situation and when putting ideas into action

investigate options and predict possible outcomes when putting ideas into action

experiment with a range of options when seeking solutions and putting ideas into action

assess and test options to identify the most effective solution and to put ideas into action

predict possibilities, and identify and test consequences when seeking solutions and putting ideas into action

assess risks and explain contingencies, taking account of a range of perspectives, when seeking solutions and putting complex ideas into action

Examples • suggesting different

endings to a story

Examples • exploring identified

problems and ways of overcoming them

Examples • using a graphic

organiser to suggest alternative solutions

Examples • using role plays to test

and refine approaches when initial ideas do not work

Examples • using information from a

range of sources to predict results from an inquiry or investigation

Examples • expressing difficult

concepts digitally, kinaesthetically or spatially

English ACELY1650

English ACELY1789 Mathematics ACMSP024

Science ACSIS041 History ACHHK045


English ACELT1800 Mathematics ACMNA122

Science ACSIS104

English ACELA1548 Mathematics ACMSP204


English ACELY1756 Mathematics ACMSP225



Reflecting on thinking and processes








Think about thinking (metacognition)

describe what they are thinking and give reasons why

describe the thinking strategies used in given situations and tasks

reflect on, explain and check the processes used to come to conclusions

reflect on assumptions made, consider reasonable criticism and adjust their thinking if necessary

assess assumptions in their thinking and invite alternative opinions

give reasons to support their thinking, and address opposing viewpoints and possible weaknesses in their own positions

Examples • drawing on a past

experience to explain their thinking

Examples • describing how they

approach tasks when they are not sure what to do

Examples • explaining ways they

check their thinking and deal with setbacks

Examples • identifying where

methods of investigation and inquiry could be improved

Examples • reflecting on the

accuracy of their own and others’ thinking

Examples • reflecting on justifications

for approaching problems in certain ways

English ACELT1783

English ACELT1590 Mathematics ACMNA017 Science ACSIS214



English ACELY1731 Science ACSIS145 History ACCHS155

English ACELT1640 Mathematics ACMSP247 Science ACSHE194 History ACHHS188

Reflect on processes

identify the main elements of the steps in a thinking process

outline the details and sequence in a whole task and separate it into workable parts

identify pertinent information in an investigation and separate into smaller parts or ideas

identify and justify the thinking behind choices they have made

evaluate and justify the reasons behind choosing a particular problem-solving strategy

balance rational and irrational components of a complex or ambiguous problem to evaluate evidence

Examples • identifying steps

involved in daily routines

Examples • using logic to sort

information in graphic organisers or musical segments

Examples • examining the

significant aspects of an historical event

Examples • explaining why

particular musical notations or mathematical sequences were

Examples • choosing images that

best represent an idea or product

Examples • exploring reasons for

selecting or rejecting patterns or groupings to represent an idea









selected

English ACELY1648

English ACELT1592 Mathematics ACMMG044 Science ACSSU030

English ACELT1592 Mathematics ACMNA079 Science ACSSU073 History ACHHK080




Transfer knowledge into new contexts

connect information from one setting to another

use information from a previous experience to inform a new idea

transfer and apply information in one setting to enrich another

apply knowledge gained from one context to another unrelated context and identify new meaning

justify reasons for decisions when transferring information to similar and different contexts

identify, plan and justify transference of knowledge to new contexts

Examples • giving reasons for

rules at home and school

Examples • applying reasons for

actions previously given to similar new situations

Examples • using visual or

numerical representations to clarify information

Examples • using statistics to

interpret information from census data about migration

Examples • explaining choices,

such as the use of a soundtrack to accompany a performance

Examples • demonstrating ways

ideas gained in an historical or literary context could be applied in a different scenario

English ACELY1648


English ACELY1691 Mathematics ACMMG090 Science ACSHE050

English ACELT1616 Mathematics ACMNA133 Science ACSHE220

English ACELY1735 Mathematics ACMMG202 Science ACSIS234 History ACCHS153

English ACELA1565 Mathematics ACMNA238 Science ACSHE158


Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures








Apply logic and reasoning

identify the thinking used to solve problems in given situations

identify reasoning used in choices or actions in specific situations

identify and apply appropriate reasoning and thinking strategies for particular outcomes

assess whether there is adequate reasoning and evidence to justify a claim, conclusion or outcome

identify gaps in reasoning and missing elements in information

analyse reasoning used in finding and applying solutions, and in choice of resources

Examples • asking how dilemmas

in narratives were solved

Examples • asking what course of

action was most logical and why

Examples • using logical or

predictive reasoning when problem solving


contrasting interpretations of information or image

Examples • finding wrong

rationales or assumptions made and/or illogical conclusions drawn when seeking outcomes

Examples • testing propositions to

identify reliability of data and faulty reasoning when designing new products

English ACELA1786 Mathematics ACMNA289 History ACHHS021

English ACELA1462 Science ACSHE035 History ACHHS051


English ACELT1614 Science ACSIS221



Draw conclusions and design a course of action share their thinking about possible courses of action

identify alternative courses of action or possible conclusions when presented with new information

draw on prior knowledge and use evidence when choosing a course of action or drawing a conclusion

scrutinise ideas or concepts, test conclusions and modify actions when designing a course of action

differentiate the components of a designed course of action and tolerate ambiguities when drawing conclusions

use logical and abstract thinking to analyse and synthesise complex information to inform a course of action

Examples • discussing various

ways people could have acted

Examples • describing how an

outcome might change if a character

Examples • assessing the worth

of elements of a planned approach or

Examples • charting progress of

an argument or investigation and

Examples • assessing the

success of a formula for a product or

Examples • using primary or

secondary evidence to support or refute a









acted differently

solution

proposing alternatives

management of an event

conclusion

English ACELY1646 Mathematics ACMNA005

English ACELA1469 Mathematics ACMNA015 Science ACSIS025 History ACHHK046

English ACELT1604 Mathematics ACMNA073 Science ACSHE062


English ACELY1732 Mathematics ACMSP171 History ACHHS155


Evaluate procedures and outcomes check whether they are satisfied with the outcome of tasks or actions

evaluate whether they have accomplished what they set out to achieve

explain and justify ideas and outcomes

evaluate the effectiveness of ideas, products, performances, methods and courses of action against given criteria

explain intentions and justify ideas, methods and courses of action, and account for expected and unexpected outcomes against criteria they have identified

evaluate the effectiveness of ideas, products and performances and implement courses of action to achieve desired outcomes against criteria they have identified

Examples

• asking whether their work sounds and looks right and makes sense

Examples • asking whether they

listened to a peer’s answer well or used a suitable procedure

Examples • evaluating whether

specified materials or calculations were appropriate for set goals or evidence presented

Examples • assessing their own

and peer responses to an issue, performance or artefact

Examples • evaluating whether a

chosen investigation method withstands scrutiny

Examples • strengthening a

conclusion, identifying alternative solutions to an investigation

English ACELY1669 Science ACISIS212


English ACELA1518 Mathematics ACMMG115 History ACHHS216




Personal and social capability Introduction

In the Australian Curriculum, students develop personal and social capability as they learn to understand themselves and others, and manage their relationships, lives, work and learning more effectively. The capability involves students in a range of practices including recognising and regulating emotions, developing empathy for others and understanding relationships, establishing and building positive relationships, making responsible decisions, working effectively in teams, handling challenging situations constructively and developing leadership skills.

The Melbourne Declaration on the Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA 2008) recognises that personal and social capability assists students to become successful learners, helping to improve their academic learning and enhancing their motivation to reach their full potential. Personal and social capability supports students in becoming creative and confident individuals with ‘a sense of self-worth, self-awareness and personal identity that enables them to manage their emotional, mental, spiritual and physical wellbeing’, with a sense of hope and ‘optimism about their lives and the future’. On a social level, it helps students to ‘form and maintain healthy relationships’ and prepares them ‘for their potential life roles as family, community and workforce members’ (MCEETYA, p. 9).

Students with well-developed social and emotional skills find it easier to manage themselves, relate to others, develop resilience and a sense of self-worth, resolve conflict, engage in teamwork and feel positive about themselves and the world around them. The development of personal and social capability is a foundation for learning and for citizenship.

Scope of Personal and social capability

Personal and social capability encompasses students' personal/emotional and social/relational dispositions, intelligences, sensibilities and learning. It develops effective life skills for students, including understanding and handling themselves, their relationships, learning and work. Although it is named ‘Personal and social capability’, the words ‘personal/emotional’ and ‘social/relational’ are used interchangeably throughout the literature and within educational organisations. The term ‘Social and Emotional Learning’ is also often used, as is the SEL acronym.

When students develop their skills in any one of these elements, it leads to greater overall personal and social capability, and also enhances their skills in the other elements. In particular, the more students learn about their own emotions, values, strengths and capacities, the more they are able to manage their own emotions and behaviours, and to understand others and establish and maintain positive relationships.

For a description of the organising elements for Personal and social capability, go to Organising elements.

Personal and social capability across the curriculum

Personal and social capability skills are addressed in all learning areas and at every stage of a student’s schooling. However, some of the skills and practices implicit in the development of the


capability may be most explicitly addressed in specific learning areas, such as Health and Physical Education.

The Personal and social capability is addressed through the learning areas and is identified wherever it is developed or applied in content descriptions. It is also identified where it offers opportunities to add depth and richness to student learning in content elaborations. An icon indicates where Personal and social capability has been identified in learning area content descriptions and elaborations. A filter function on the Australian Curriculum website assists users to find where Personal and social capability has been identified in F–10 curriculum content. Teachers may find further opportunities to incorporate explicit teaching of Personal and social capability depending on their choice of activities. Students can also be encouraged to develop capability through personally relevant initiatives of their own design.

• Personal and social capability in English (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/General-capabilities)

• Personal and social capability in Mathematics (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Mathematics/General-capabilities)

• Personal and social capability in Science (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Science/General-capabilities)

• Personal and social capability in History (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/History/General-capabilities)

Background

This background summarises the evidence base from which the Personal and social capability’s introduction, organising elements and learning continuum have been developed. It draws on recent international and national research, as well as initiatives and programs that focus on personal and social capability across the curriculum.

The domain of personal and social learning is not new, despite changes to nomenclature, definitions and understandings over the past century. In 1920, Thorndike identified ‘social intelligence’ as an important facet of intelligence. Since then, many researchers and educators, including Moss and Hunt (1927), Vernon (1933), Wechsler (1940), Gardner (1983), Salovey and Mayer (1990), Seligman (1998) and Goleman (1995, 1998, 2006), have explored this concept, each contributing to current understandings of this domain. Importantly, recent contributors have emphasised the ability to develop and improve personal and social capability both as adults and as children.

Two contributors have been particularly significant to recent developments in personal and social learning as a competence or capability in school education. Gardner’s (1983) Frames of Mind: the theory of multiple intelligences broadened notions of intelligence, introducing and popularising the concepts of intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligence, which represented two of his eight intelligences. More recently, Goleman further popularised the concepts of emotional intelligence (1995) and social intelligence (2006) in educational discourse.

In 1994, Goleman and others founded the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Since then, CASEL has been the world’s leading organisation in advancing understandings, research, networks, curriculum, school practice and public policy in the area of personal and social learning.








CASEL’s evidence-based approach and definitions of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) are the best known and most highly respected in the world today, and provide an excellent framework for integrating the academic, emotional and social dimensions of learning.

Most educational programs around the world that integrate social and emotional learning are based on CASEL’s SEL framework. This framework is also drawn upon and referenced by various personal, interpersonal and social curriculum in Australian states and territories, and by programs such as MindMatters, KidsMatter and Response Ability.

While some differences emerge within the literature about how personal and emotional learning should be named, constructed and taught, and different organisations also include some additional categories, it is widely accepted that a Personal and social capability will always include a minimum foundation of the four interrelated and non-sequential organising elements – Self-awareness, Self-management, Social awareness and Social management – used in the Personal and social capability learning continuum.

The capability has also been richly informed by understandings gained through the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools (DEEWR 2005), and the resultant Values education initiatives in all areas of Australian schooling. In addition, the Melbourne Declaration on Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA, p. 5) states that ‘a school’s legacy to young people should include national values of democracy, equity and justice, and personal values and attributes such as honesty, resilience and respect for others’. While Values education is certainly found in the Personal and social capability, it is also located within other general capabilities, such as Ethical understanding.


References

Beveridge, A. 2010, Report: General capabilities – social competence, Hay Group (commissioned by ACARA, unpublished).

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in Schools: http://casel.org (accessed 9 October 2011).

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations 2005, National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools: www.curriculum.edu.au/values/val_national_framework_for_values_education,8757.html(accessed 9 October 2011).

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations 2010, National Safe Schools Framework – draft, ACT, Australia: www.deewr.gov.au/Schooling/NationalSafeSchools/Pages/nationalsafeschoolsframework.aspx (accessed 9 October 2011).

Department of Health and Ageing 2010, KidsMatter: Australian primary schools mental health initiative: www.kidsmatter.edu.au/primary/ (accessed 9 October 2011).

Department of Health and Ageing 2010, MindMatters: www.mindmatters.edu.au/default.asp (accessed 9 October 2011).

Department of Health and Ageing, implemented by Hunter Institute of Mental Health in partnership with universities and tertiary educators, Response Ability: www.responseability.org/site/index.cfm (accessed 9 October 2011).

Gardner, H. 1983, Frames of Mind: the theory of multiple intelligences, Basic Books, New York.

Goleman, D. 1995, Emotional Intelligence: why it can matter more than IQ, Bantam, New York.

Goleman, D. 1998, Working with Emotional Intelligence, Bantam, New York.

Goleman, D. 2006, Social Intelligence: the new science of human relationships, Hutchinson, London.

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training & Youth Affairs, 2008, Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians: www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf (accessed 9 October 2011).

Moss, F.A. & Hunt, T. 1927, ‘Are you socially intelligent?’, Scientific American, 137.

Salovey, P. & Mayer, J. 1990, ‘Emotional Intelligence’, Imagination, Cognition, and Personality 9, Baywood Publishing Company, Inc., pp. 185–211.

Seligman, M. 1998, Learned Optimism: how to change your mind and your life, 2nd edn, Pocket Books, New York.

Thorndike, E.L. 1920, ‘Intelligence and its use’, Harper’s Magazine, no. 140, pp. 227–235.

Vernon, P.E. 1933, ‘Some characteristics of the good judge of personality’, Journal of Social Psychology, 4, pp. 42–57

http://www.casel.org/

http://www.curriculum.edu.au/values/val_national_framework_for_values_education,8757.html

http://www.deewr.gov.au/Schooling/NationalSafeSchools/Pages/nationalsafeschoolsframework.aspx

http://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/primary/

http://www.mindmatters.edu.au/default.asp

http://www.responseability.org/site/index.cfm




Wechsler, D. 1940, ‘Non-intellective Factors in General Intelligence’, Psychological Bulletin, 37, pp. 444–445


Organising elements

The Personal and social capability learning continuum is organised into four interrelated elements of:

• Self-awareness

• Self-management

• Social awareness

• Social management


Organising elements for Personal and social capability

Self-awareness

This element involves students in identifying and describing the factors that influence their emotional responses. They develop a realistic sense of their personal abilities, qualities and strengths through knowing what they are feeling in the moment, and having a realistic assessment of their own abilities and a well-grounded sense of self-knowledge and self-confidence. Self-awareness involves students reflecting on and evaluating their learning, identifying personal characteristics that contribute to or limit their effectiveness, learning from successes or failures, and being able to interpret their own emotional states, needs and perspectives. In developing and acting with personal and social capability, students:

• recognise emotions

• recognise personal qualities and achievements

• understand themselves as learners

• develop reflective practice.


Self-management

This element involves students in effectively regulating, managing and monitoring their own emotional responses, and persisting in completing tasks and overcoming obstacles. Students are engaged in developing organisational skills, and identifying the resources needed to achieve goals. This is achieved through developing the skills to work independently and to show initiative, learning to be conscientious, delaying gratification and persevering in the face of setbacks and frustrations. It also involves the metacognitive skill of learning when and how to use particular strategies. In developing and acting with personal and social capability, students:

• express emotions appropriately

• develop self-discipline and set goals

• work independently and show initiative

• become confident, resilient and adaptable.

Social awareness

This element involves students recognising others’ feelings and knowing how and when to assist others. Students learn to show respect for and understand others’ perspectives, emotional states and needs. They learn to participate in positive, safe and respectful relationships, defining and accepting individual and group roles and responsibilities. Students gain an understanding of the role of advocacy in contemporary society and build their capacity to critique societal constructs and forms of discrimination, such as racism and sexism. In developing and acting with personal and social capability, students:

• appreciate diverse perspectives

• contribute to civil society

• understand relationships.

Social management

This element involves students in interacting effectively and respectfully with a range of adults and peers. Students learn to negotiate and communicate effectively with others; work in teams, positively contribute to groups and collaboratively make decisions; resolve conflict and reach positive outcomes. Students develop the ability to initiate and manage successful personal relationships, and participate in a range of social and communal activities. Social management involves building skills associated with leadership, such as mentoring and role modelling. In developing and acting with personal and social capability, students:

• communicate effectively

• work collaboratively

• make decisions

• negotiate and resolve conflict

• develop leadership skills.


Personal and Social Capability Learning Continuum

Self-awareness








Recognise emotions

identify a range of emotions and describe situations that may evoke these emotions

compare their emotional responses with those of their peers

describe the influence that people, situations and events have on their emotions

explain how the appropriateness of emotional responses influences behaviour

examine influences on and consequences of their emotional responses in learning, social and work-related contexts

reflect critically on their emotional responses to challenging situations in a wide range of learning, social and work-related contexts ,

Examples • describing responses

such as being excited at a birthday party or feeling disappointed when not selected for an award

Examples

• considering how others respond to difficult situations in historical contexts or when listening to fictional stories

Examples

• discussing their emotional responses to events, such as celebrations, sporting events or news stories

Examples

• explaining the likely consequences of inappropriate emotional responses in a range of social situations

Examples

• investigating emotional responses to unfair play or unfair treatment at work

Examples

• gathering feedback from peers and adults about the appropriateness of their emotional responses in a range of situations

English ACELA1429

English ACELA1462 English ACELA1488 English ACELT1617

History ACHHK115

English ACELT1626

Science ACSIS140

English ACELT1643 Science ACSIS208 History ACDSEH121

Recognise personal qualities and achievements identify their likes and dislikes, needs and wants, and explore what influences these

identify and describe personal interests, skills and achievements and explain how these contribute to family and school life

describe personal strengths and challenges and identify skills they wish to develop

describe the influence that personal qualities and strengths have on their learning outcomes

make a realistic assessment of their abilities and achievements, and prioritise areas for improvement

assess their strengths and challenges and devise personally appropriate strategies to achieve future success









Examples

• describing activities they enjoy at school, noting their strengths

Examples

• identifying a personal quality or skill, such as being good at soccer or spelling, and describing how this might be useful to others

Examples

• listing a range of strengths supported by examples from home, school and community experiences

Examples

• keeping a journal or blog of how their personal qualities have helped achieve a positive learning outcome

Examples

• considering what interventions they could have made, and how these may have changed outcomes in study and personal pursuits

Examples

• designing a personal capability inventory that includes evidence to support their self-assessments

English ACELA1429

Science ACSSU002 History ACHHK001

English ACELT1589

Science ACSSU030

History ACHHK045

English ACELY1692

Science ACSIS069

English ACELA1515

Science ACSHE220

History ACHHS120

English ACELA1541 English ACELT1814

History ACDSEH147

Understand themselves as learners

identify their abilities, talents and interests as learners

discuss their strengths and weaknesses as learners and identify some learning strategies to assist them

identify and describe factors and strategies that assist their learning

identify preferred learning styles and work habits

identify and choose a range of learning strategies appropriate to specific tasks and describe work practices that assist their learning

evaluate the effectiveness of commonly used learning strategies and work practices and refine these as required

Examples

sharing a personal experience, interest or discovery with peers, and describing what they have learnt

English ACELT1575 Science ACSSU002

Examples

• describing how practising a skill improves performance

English ACELY1667 Science ACSSU030

Examples

• keeping a journal of their learning, describing both positive and negative experiences

English ACELY1689

Examples

• identifying their preference as a visual, auditory or kinaesthetic learner

English ACELY1714

Examples

• choosing strategies that capitalise on and expand their strengths and preferred learning styles

English ACELY1736

Examples

• developing personal learning plans that identify effective study techniques









Develop reflective practice reflect on their feelings as learners and how their efforts affect skills and achievements

reflect on what they have learnt about themselves from a range of experiences at home and school

reflect on personal strengths and achievements, based on self-assessment strategies and teacher feedback

monitor their progress, seeking and responding to feedback from teachers to assist them in consolidating strengths, addressing weaknesses and fulfilling their potential

predict the outcomes of personal and academic challenges by drawing on previous problem-solving and decision-making strategies and feedback from peers and teachers

reflect on feedback from peers, teachers and other adults, to analyse personal characteristics and skill sets that contribute to or limit their personal and social capability

Examples • responding to open-

ended statements such as ‘I’m proud of this because …’ or using visual aids to illustrate their responses

Examples

• responding to prompts which help them acknowledge their successes and identify what they could do to make improvements

Examples

• with support, identifying strategies that help them complete tasks when they are uncertain and reflecting on their contributions to group activities

Examples

• building on their strengths in various roles in small and large groups, setting personal challenges to develop new skills and strategies

Examples

• identifying strategies they have used successfully to complete learning area tasks they have found difficult

Examples

monitoring learning plans and identifying future learning needs

English ACELT1577

History ACHHS017

English ACELT1590 English ACELY1689

Science ACSIS065

English ACEL1710

Science ACSIS108

English ACELY1736 English ACELT1815

Science ACSIS208


Self-management








Express emotions appropriately

express their emotions constructively in interactions with others

describe ways to express emotions to show awareness of the feelings and needs of others

identify and describe strategies to manage and moderate emotions in increasingly unfamiliar situations

explain the influence of emotions on behaviour, learning and relationships

forecast the consequences of expressing emotions inappropriately and devise measures to regulate behaviour

consider control and justify their emotional responses, in expressing their opinions, beliefs, values, questions and choices

Examples

• communicating when they feel left out, lonely, excited, disappointed or unsafe during class and physical activities

Examples

• using different tone and voice level in and outside the classroom, and when interacting with adults and peers

Examples

• learning when, how and with whom it is appropriate to share anger, frustration and excitement

Examples

• noticing how emotions such as anger and excitement affect learning and impact on achievements and successes

Examples

• predicting situations that serve as emotional triggers and implementing regulating responses

Examples

• choosing appropriate language and voice to convey personal responses and opinions to a range of adults and peers

English ACELA1428


Science ACSIS071

English ACELA1517

Science ACSIS232

History ACHHS120

English ACELY1808

Science ACSHE135

English ACELY1813

Science ACSHE194

History ACDSEH109

Develop self-discipline and set goals follow class routines to assist learning

set goals in learning and personal organisation by completing tasks within a given time

explain the value of self-discipline and goal-setting in helping them to learn

analyse factors that influence ability to self-regulate; devise and apply strategies to monitor own behaviour and set realistic learning goals

select, use and analyse strategies that assist in regulating behaviour and achieving personal and learning goals

critically analyse self-discipline strategies and personal goals and consider their application in social and work-related contexts

Examples

• using class routines such as turn-taking, sitting when listening to stories, following instructions, managing

Examples

• organising their time using calendars and clocks

Examples

• identifying how distractions and priorities influence learning

Examples

• identifying desired goals and making plans to achieve these results

Examples

• using spread sheets and other organisers to plan and arrange activities at school and

Examples

• drawing on goal setting strategies used at school to plan for work life









transitions between activities

study outside school

English ACELY1646


Science ACSIS233

English ACELA1461


Science ACSIS039

English ACELY1688


Science ACSIS065

English ACELY1710


Science ACSHE100

History ACHHS120

English ACELY1731

Science ACSHE148

English ACELY1751

Science ACSIS208

Work independently and show initiative

attempt tasks independently and identify when and from whom help can be sought

work independently on routine tasks and experiment with strategies to complete other tasks where appropriate

consider, select and adopt a range of strategies for working independently and taking initiative

assess the value of working independently, and taking initiative to do so where appropriate

critique their effectiveness in working independently by identifying enablers and barriers to achieving goals

establish personal priorities, manage resources effectively and demonstrate initiative to achieve personal goals and learning outcomes

Examples

• identifying situations where help is needed and the people who can help them, and when it is appropriate to 'give tasks a go'

Examples

• describing their daily school routine, identifying areas where it is appropriate and helpful for them to show initiative

Examples

• recognising when strategies previously used are not as effective as new strategies

Examples

• identifying situations where it is preferable to work independently or with others

Examples

• developing strategies for overcoming obstacles encountered in working independently

Examples

• identifying learning goals and monitoring effectiveness of their strategies and interventions to achieve them

English ACELY1647

Science ACSIS233

History ACHHS021

English ACELY1667

Science ACSIS039

English ACELT1607

Science ACSIS066

English ACELY1816

Science ACSIS104

History ACHHS120

English ACELY1731

Science ACSHE135

English ACELY1756

Science ACSHE195

Become confident, resilient and adaptable

identify situations that feel safe or unsafe, approaching new situations with confidence

undertake and persist with short tasks, within the limits of personal safety

persist with tasks when faced with challenges and adapt their approach where first attempts are not

devise strategies and formulate plans to assist in the completion of challenging tasks and the maintenance of personal

assess, adapt and modify personal and safety strategies and plans, and revisit tasks with renewed

evaluate, rethink and refine approaches to tasks to take account of unexpected or difficult situations and safety









successful safety confidence considerations

Examples

• choosing strategies to manage unsafe situations such as No Go Tell

Examples

• continuing to practise a physical activity despite individual limitations

Examples

• persisting to inform a trusted adult about an unsafe encounter, event or situation

Examples

• developing coping strategies for managing set backs

Examples

• recording successful strategies, and drawing on these in unfamiliar and complex situations

Examples

• reconceptualising a challenging learning task


Science ACSIS039

English ACELT1603

Science ACSIS065

English ACELY1710

Science ACSHE100

History ACHHS120

English ACELY1808


Science ACSIS148

English ACELY1757

Science ACSHE230

Social awareness








Appreciate diverse perspectives acknowledge that people hold many points of view

describe similarities and differences in points of view between themselves and people in their communities

discuss the value of diverse perspectives and describe a point of view that is different from their own

explain how means of communication differ within and between communities and identify the role these play in helping or hindering understanding of others

acknowledge the values, opinions and attitudes of different groups within society and compare to their own points of view

articulate their personal value system and analyse the effects of actions that repress social power and limit the expression of diverse views

Examples

• identifying the range of likes and dislikes within their class

Examples

• comparing changes in attitudes about behaviours in different places or over time

Examples

• exchanging views with a classmate on a topical issue and reporting their perspective to the class

Examples

• describing ways that language or gestures are used in a range of social settings

Examples

• identifying and explaining different perspectives on social issues arising in areas such as industry, agriculture and resource management

Examples

• recognising how language can be used to position listeners in particular ways, analysing different accounts of the same event









English ACELT1575

Science ACSSU004

History ACHHS020

English ACELA1460

Science ACSHE035

History ACHHK046

English ACELT1602

History ACHHS085

English ACELY1709


Science ACSHE099

History ACHHS123

English ACELT1626

Science ACSHE136

History ACDSEH009

English ACELY1813

Science ACSHE230

History ACDSEH108

Contribute to civil society describe ways they can help at home and school

describe how they contribute to their homes, classrooms and local communities, and how others care for and assist them

identify the various communities to which they belong and what they can do to make a difference

identify a community need or problem and consider ways to take action to address it

analyse personal and social roles and responsibilities in planning and implementing ways of contributing to their communities

plan, implement and evaluate ways of contributing to civil society at local, national regional and global levels

Examples

• describing their role in completing class activities and family chores

Examples

• describing contributions made by significant individuals to their communities

Examples

• identifying ways they can advocate for specific groups in their communities

Examples

• considering current methods of waste management in their local environment and ways they might contribute to improving these

Examples

• investigating strategies to maintain part of the local environment and ways to contribute to its improvement

Examples

• identifying and trialling strategies to address a global social issue such as child labour

Science ACSHE035

History ACHHK046

Science ACSHE062 Mathematics ACMMG139

Science ACSHE099

Science ACSHE135

Science ACSHE195

Understand relationships explore relationships through play and group experiences

identify ways to care for others, including ways of making and keeping friends

describe factors that contribute to positive relationships, including with people at school and in their community

identify the differences between positive and negative relationships and ways of managing these

identify indicators of possible problems in relationships in a range of social and work related situations

explain how relationships differ between peers, parents, teachers and other adults, and identify the skills needed to manage different types of relationships









Examples

• discussing different ways of working together

Examples

• discussing how words and actions can help or hurt others, and the effects of modifying their behaviour

Examples

• identifying the importance of including others in activities, groups and games

Examples

• identifying behaviours that display the positive use of power in relationships

Examples

• recognising personal boundaries, appropriate degrees of intimacy, distribution of power, effects of social and cultural norms and mores

Examples

• identifying the various communities to which they belong and how language reinforces membership of these communities


Science ACSIS042

English ACELA1488 English ACELA1516

History ACHHK115

English ACELA1541

History ACDSEH010

English ACELA1564

History ACDSEH123

Social management








Communicate effectively

identify positive ways to initiate, join and interrupt conversations with adults and peers

discuss the use of verbal and nonverbal communication skills to respond appropriately to adults and peers

identify communication skills that enhance relationships for particular groups and purposes

identify and explain factors that influence effective communication in a variety of situations

analyse enablers of and barriers to effective verbal, nonverbal and digital communication

formulate plans for effective communication (verbal, nonverbal, digital) to complete complex tasks

Examples

• practising encouraging others, listening to others’ ideas, greeting others by name, excusing themselves when interrupting

Examples

• using spoken language and body language to share observations and ideas

Examples

• actively listening and responding to opinions that differ from their own

Examples

• making and responding to introductions, building on the ideas of others in discussions, offering and accepting constructive criticism

Examples

• analysing popular modes of communication used by young people, noting factors that promote or obstruct communication

Examples

• using agreed protocols to join group discussions and assert their own viewpoint, entertaining divergent views, developing guidelines for the effective use of social media









English ACELA1429


Science ACSIS014

History ACHHK003

English ACELY1668

Science ACSIS037

History ACHHK045

English ACELA1489

Science ACSIS071

English ACELY1816

Science ACSIS232

History ACHHS120

English ACELT1627

Science ACSIS139

English ACELA1572

Science ACSIS208

History ACHHS189

Work collaboratively share experiences of cooperation in play and group activities

identify cooperative behaviours in a range of group activities

describe characteristics of cooperative behaviour and identify evidence of these in group activities

contribute to groups and teams, suggesting improvements in methods used for group investigations and projects

assess the extent to which individual roles and responsibilities enhance group cohesion and the achievement of personal and group objectives

critique their ability to devise and enact strategies for working in diverse teams, drawing on the skills and contributions of team members to complete complex tasks

Examples

• taking turns, sharing resources and following class routines

Examples

• participating in guided group investigations

Examples

• including others in the group and respecting their opinions, working for a common goal

Examples

• encouraging others, negotiating roles and relationships and managing time and tasks

Examples

• assessing how well they support other members of the team in group investigations and projects

Examples

• considering the ideas of others in reaching an independent or shared decision

English ACELY1646

Science ACSHE013

English ACELY1789

Science ACSIS041

English ACELY1688

Science ACSIS065


Science ACSIS140

English ACELY1813

Science ACSIS208

Make decisions identify options when making decisions to meet their needs and the needs of others

practise individual and group decision making in situations such as class meetings and when working in pairs and small groups

contribute to and predict the consequences of group decisions in a range of situations

identify factors that influence decision making and consider the usefulness of these in making their own decisions

assess individual and group decision-making processes in challenging situations

develop and apply criteria to evaluate the outcomes of individual and group decisions and analyse the consequences of their decision making

Examples Examples Examples Examples Examples Examples









• making choices about resources for play and learning tasks

• naming roles and responsibilities in class meetings and identifying fair methods for choosing people for these roles

• deciding how to share resources for a learning task and forecasting the outcomes of options

• identifying the people, events and situations that influence how decisions are made

• using scientific, ethical, economic and social arguments to make decisions regarding personal and community issues

• explaining how a change in a social policy could affect individuals and groups

English ACELT1794

Science ACSIS064

English ACELY1709


Science ACSHE220

History ACHHK116


Science ACSHE136


Negotiate and resolve conflict listen to others’ ideas, and recognise that others may see things differently from them

practise solving simple interpersonal problems, recognising there are many ways to solve conflict

identify a range of conflict resolution strategies to negotiate positive outcomes to problems

identify causes and effects of conflict, and practise different strategies to diffuse or resolve conflict situations

assess the appropriateness of various conflict resolution strategies in a range of social and work-related situations

generate, apply and evaluate strategies such as active listening, mediation and negotiation to prevent and resolve interpersonal problems and conflicts

Examples

• identifying characters in stories who feel differently about the same situation, and how they might respond in the same situation

Examples

• using strategies such as showing courtesy to others when voicing disagreement or an alternative point of view

Examples

• identifying issues that cause conflict and exploring how conflict has been resolved in a range of contexts

Examples

• demonstrating steps of a conflict resolution process such as listen, express feelings, discuss solutions, make amends

Examples

• evaluating the effectiveness of imposed resolutions compared to mutually agreed resolutions to conflict

Examples

• using mediation skills to support people holding different views on a given topic and to assist in respecting one another’s views

English ACELY1784


English ACELT1589

Science ACSIS214

English ACELT1607

Science ACSIS065

English ACELA1516


Science ACSHE220

History ACHHK115

English ACELT1627

Science ACSHE136

English ACELA1564

Science ACSIS206









Develop leadership skills identify ways to take responsibility for familiar tasks at home and school

discuss ways in which they can take responsibility for their own actions

discuss the concept of leadership and identify situations where it is appropriate to adopt this role

initiate or help to organise group activities that address a common need

plan school and community projects, applying effective problem-solving and team-building strategies, and making the most of available resources to achieve goals

propose, implement and monitor strategies to address needs prioritised at local, national, regional and global levels, and communicate these widely

Examples

• identifying ways to help at school, such as closing windows, tidying workspace, distributing resources

Examples

• discussing ways in which they participate in games in the playground

Examples

• choosing a range of roles in group activities

Examples

• volunteering to lead a peer coaching activity

Examples

• initiating and planning school and community projects such as charity work, environmental projects and coaching

Examples

• developing a communication strategy for an identified project

English ACELY1789 English ACELY1689 English ACELY1714



Introduction

In the Australian Curriculum, students develop ethical understanding as they identify and investigate the nature of ethical concepts, values and character traits, and understand how reasoning can assist ethical judgment. Ethical understanding involves students in building a strong personal and socially oriented ethical outlook that helps them to manage context, conflict and uncertainty, and to develop an awareness of the influence that their values and behaviour have on others.

The Melbourne Declaration on Education Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA 2008) recognises that ethical understanding assists students to become ‘confident and creative individuals and active and informed citizens’. It does this through fostering the development of ‘personal values and attributes such as honesty, resilience, empathy and respect for others’, and the capacity to act with ethical integrity (MCEETYA, pp. 8–9).

As cultural, social, environmental and technological changes transform the world, the demands placed on learners and education systems are changing. Technologies bring local and distant communities into classrooms, exposing students to knowledge and global concerns as never before. Complex issues require responses that take account of ethical considerations such as human rights and responsibilities, animal rights, environmental issues and global justice.

Building ethical understanding throughout all stages of schooling will assist students to engage with the more complex issues that they are likely to encounter in the future, and to navigate a world of competing values, rights, interests and norms.

Scope of Ethical understanding

Students learn to behave ethically as they explore ethical issues and interactions with others, discuss ideas, and learn to be accountable as members of a democratic community.

In this context, students need regular opportunities to identify and make sense of the ethical dimensions in their learning. As ethics is largely concerned with what we ought to do and how we ought to live, students need to understand how people can inquire collaboratively and come to ethical decisions. They need the skills to explore areas of contention, select and justify an ethical position, and engage with and understand the experiences and positions of others. These skills promote students’ confidence as decision-makers and foster their ability to act with regard for others. Skills are enhanced when students have opportunities to put them into practice in their learning; for example, understanding the importance of applying appropriate ethical practices in areas such as Australian Indigenous studies (AIATSIS 2011).

Students also need to explore values, rights and responsibilities to assist them in justifying their ethical position and in engaging with the position of others.

The processes of reflecting on and interrogating core ethical issues and concepts underlie all areas of the curriculum. These include justice, right and wrong, freedom, truth, identity, empathy, goodness and abuse.

Processes of inquiring into ethical issues include giving reasons, being consistent, finding meanings and causes, and providing proof and evidence. Interrogating such concepts


through authentic cases such as global warming, sustainable living and socioeconomic disparity can involve group and independent inquiry, critical and creative thinking, and cooperative teamwork, and can contribute to personal and social learning.

As students engage with these elements in an integrated way, they learn to recognise the complexity of many ethical issues. They develop a capacity to make reasoned ethical judgments through the investigation of a range of questions drawn from varied contexts in the curriculum.

For a description of the organising elements for Ethical understanding, go to Organising elements.

Ethical understanding across the curriculum

Ethical issues arise across all areas of the curriculum, with each learning area containing a range of content that demands consideration from an ethical perspective. This includes analysing and evaluating the ethics of the actions and motivations of individuals and groups, understanding the ethical dimensions of research and information, debating ethical dilemmas and applying ethics in a range of situations.

Ethical understanding is addressed through the learning areas and is identified wherever it is developed or applied in content descriptions. It is also identified where it offers opportunities to add depth and richness to student learning in content elaborations. An icon indicates where Ethical understanding has been identified in learning area content descriptions and elaborations. A filter function on the Australian Curriculum website assists users to find where Ethical understanding has been identified in F–10 curriculum content. Teachers may find further opportunities to incorporate explicit teaching of Ethical understanding depending on their choice of activities. Students can also be encouraged to develop capability through personally relevant initiatives of their own design.

• Ethical understanding in English (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/General-capabilities)

• Ethical understanding in Mathematics (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/General-capabilities)

• Ethical understanding in Science (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/General-capabilities)

• Ethical understanding in History (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/General-capabilities)

Background

This background summarises the evidence base from which the Ethical understanding capability’s introduction, organising elements and learning continuum have been developed. It draws on recent international and national research, as well as initiatives and programs that focus on ethical behaviour across the curriculum.

Ethical understanding can be informed by reason, character, values and ethical principles. Each of these is addressed in the Ethical understanding learning continuum.








People call on principles, concepts, experiences, senses, emotions and reasoning to guide them when making judgments. Therefore, it is important that students are exposed to situations that develop both their awareness of meanings and their practical reasoning abilities associated with their thoughts and actions.

Ethical theories can be divided broadly into those that focus on action and those that focus on agency or character; both are concerned with the ‘good life’ and how concepts such as fairness and justice can inform our thinking about the world. These considerations can lead to students’ developing a broad understanding of values and ethical principles as they mature.

Although they have their supporters and critics, interrogation of frameworks such as Kohlberg’s stages of moral development (1964, in Crain 1985), Ruggiero’s encouragement to apply ethical issues (1997), and the Values for Australian Schooling (in National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools 2005), guides thinking about the dimensions of learning about ethical understanding and how it might be developed or encouraged throughout schooling.

The Australian educational philosophers Burgh, Field and Freakley (2006) describe ethics as pertaining to the character of persons and the wider society. Lipman, Sharp and Oscanyan (1980) state that ethical inquiry should be ‘an open-ended, sustained consideration of the values, standards and practices by which we live … taking place in an atmosphere of mutual trust, confidence and impartiality’ (p.189).

One area of study in ethics is human nature itself and how that may equip us to answer the question: ‘How ought I to live?’ The philosophers Plato, Aristotle and Aquinas, along with Kant during the Enlightenment, and more recently modern philosophers such as Peter Singer (1997), identified the importance of reason as a human attribute – although their justification varied. Developing a capacity to be reasonable is one of the three elements of the Ethical understanding learning continuum. Other dimensions in the exploration of human nature are perceptions of activities and character: ‘What kind of person should I be?’ For some philosophers, this replaces the question of ‘How ought I to live?’

Although the basis of justification of what is right or good for the individual and for others is contentious, it is misleading to confuse disagreements in ethics with there being no right or wrong answer. There may be different positions, each with their strengths and weaknesses, and often there is the need to make a judgment in the face of competing claims. At the same time there is need for an open-minded, ongoing endeavour to create an ethical life.

The Ethical understanding capability has also been richly informed by understandings gained through the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools (DEEWR 2005), and the resultant Values education initiatives in all areas of Australian schooling. In addition, the Melbourne Declaration on Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA, p. 5) states that ‘a school’s legacy to young people should include national values of democracy, equity and justice, and personal values and attributes such as honesty, resilience and respect for others’. While Values education is certainly found within Ethical understanding, it is also located within other general capabilities, such as Personal and social capability.


References

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies 2011, Guidelines for Ethical Research in Australian Indigenous Studies:

http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/research/docs/ethics.pdf (accessed 9 January 2013)

Burgh, G., Field, T. & Freakley, M. 2006, Ethics and the Community of Inquiry: education for deliberative democracy, Social Science Press, South Melbourne, Victoria.

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations 2005, National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools: www.curriculum.edu.au/values/val_national_framework_for_values_education,8757.html (accessed 9 October 2011)..

Kohlberg, L. 1981, Essays on Moral Development, Harper & Row, San Francisco, California.

Kohlberg’s stages of moral development in Crain, W.C. 1985, Theories of Development, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, pp. 118–136: http://faculty.plts.edu/gpence/html/kohlberg.htm (accessed 7 October 2011).

Lipman, M., Sharp, A.M. & Oscanyan, F. 1980, Philosophy in the Classroom, Temple University Press, Philadelphia.

McGuinness, C. 2010, Thinking and Metacognition video, The Journey to Excellence series, HMle – Improving Scottish Education: www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk/videos/expertspeakers/metacognitioncarolmcguinness.asp (accessed 7 October 2011).

McInerney, D.M. 2006, Developmental Psychology for Teachers, Allen & Unwin, Sydney.


Noddings, N. 2002, Educating Moral People, Teachers College Press, New York.

Ruggiero, V. 1997, Thinking Critically about Ethical Issues, Mayfield Publishing Co., Mountain View, California.

Singer, P. (ed) 1983, A Companion to Ethics, Blackwell, Oxford.

Singer, P. 1997, How Are We to Live? Ethics in an Age of Self-interest, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Stanford University, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/ (accessed 7 October 2011).

http://www.curriculum.edu.au/values/val_national_framework_for_values_education,8757.html

http://faculty.plts.edu/gpence/html/kohlberg.htm

http://www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk/videos/expertspeakers/metacognitioncarolmcguinness.asp



http://plato.stanford.edu/


Organising elements

The Ethical understanding learning continuum is organised into three interrelated organising elements:

• Understanding ethical concepts and issues • Reasoning in decision making and actions • Exploring values, rights and responsibilities


Organising elements for Ethical understanding

Understanding ethical concepts and issues

This element involves students in recognising ethical concepts and exploring ethical issues in context. Students identify, examine and give examples of ethical concepts. They discuss, analyse and explore dimensions of ethical concepts in context. In summary this element consists of:

• recognise ethical concepts • explore ethical concepts in context.

Reasoning in decision making and actions

This element involves students in reasoning and making ethical decisions, considering the consequences and reflecting on ethical action. They analyse the reasoning behind stances when making ethical decisions and evaluate the intended and unintended consequences of actions in an increasing range of scenarios. Students articulate understandings of a range of ethical responses in social contexts. In summary this element consists of:

• reason and make ethical decisions • consider consequences • reflect on ethical action.


Exploring values, rights and responsibilities

This element involves students in examining values, exploring rights and responsibilities and considering points of view. They use instances of expressed values to explain social interactions and to determine rights and responsibilities in social and legal domains. Students recognise and interpret points of view in ethical contexts. In summary, this element consists of:

• examine values • explore rights and responsibilities • consider points of view.


Ethical Understanding Learning Continuum

Understanding ethical concepts and issues








Recognise ethical concepts

identify ethical concepts arising in familiar contexts, such as good and bad behaviours

describe ethical concepts, such as right and wrong, honesty, fairness and tolerance

identify ethical concepts, such as equality, respect and connectedness, and describe some of their attributes

examine and explain ethical concepts such as truth and justice that contribute to the achievement of a particular outcome

analyse behaviours that exemplify the dimensions and challenges of ethical concepts

critique generalised statements about ethical concepts

Examples

• identifying the behaviours of characters in familiar stories

Examples

• describing instances of fair and unfair treatment

Science ACSHE035

Examples

• exploring what it means to treat people equally

History ACHHK077

Examples

• exploring the difference between an honest mistake and intentional deception

Examples

• examining the challenges involved in demonstrating loyalty or honour, or avoiding harm to others

History ACDSEH012

Examples

• balancing freedom of speech with the defamation of others

Explore ethical concepts in context

describe familiar situations that involve ethical concepts

discuss ethical concepts within a range of familiar contexts

discuss actions taken in a range of contexts that include an ethical dimension

explain what constitutes an ethically better or worse outcome and how it might be accomplished

analyse the ethical dimensions of beliefs and the need for action in a range of settings

distinguish between the ethical and non-ethical dimensions of complex issues

Examples

• discussing familiar situations that illustrate the concepts of kindness or caring

Examples

• discussing story scenarios involving fair and tolerant behaviour

Examples

• exploring the responsibilities of witnessed to instances of bullying

Examples

• exploring the consequences for individuals of others’ actions, in a range of

Examples

• identifying sustainable practices, or ways of confronting cyber bullying

Examples

considering whether animal experimentation is an ethical matter, and, if so, how









English ACELT1587

Science ACSHE051

scenarios Science ACSHE121


Science ACSHE135

History ACDSEH068


Science ACSHE194

History ACDSEH085

Reasoning in decision making and actions








Reason and make ethical decisions

identify examples from stories and experiences that show ways people make decisions about their actions

discuss how people make decisions about their actions and offer reasons why people’s decisions differ

explain reasons for acting in certain ways, including the conflict between self-respect and self-interest in reaching decisions

explore the reasons behind there being a variety of ethical positions on a social issue

analyse inconsistencies in personal reasoning and societal ethical decision making

investigate reasons for clashes of beliefs in issues of personal, social and global importance

Examples

• exploring the choices that different characters make in stories

Examples

• considering the differing interests of others in the classroom and family

Examples

• explaining ways to reach fair and respectful decisions

Examples

• examining conflicting media reports about the same event

History ACHHK114

Examples

• examining decisions that lead to unequal outcomes

Examples

• examining the treatment of people in the context of disparity or distribution of resources

History ACDSEH021









Consider consequences

identify links between emotions and behaviours

describe the effects that personal feelings and dispositions have on how people behave

examine the links between emotions, dispositions and intended and unintended consequences of their actions on others

evaluate the consequences of actions in familiar and hypothetical scenarios

investigate scenarios that highlight ways that personal dispositions and actions can affect consequences

analyse the objectivity or subjectivity behind decision making where there are many possible consequences

Examples

• discussing the effects of selfish or uncaring behaviour on people’s feelings

Examples

• discussing the consequences of keeping or not keeping promises, or being truthful or untruthful

Examples

• examining what it means to cause people to feel let down

History ACHHKO80

Examples

• assessing possible consequences of including or excluding a person or group

Examples

• examining the effects of tolerance on relationships or of misrepresentations in social media or reporting

History ACDSEH054

Examples

• exploring the complexities associated with sharing or violating resources

History ACDSEH021

Reflect on ethical action

identify and describe the influence of factors such as wants and needs on people’s actions

give examples of how understanding situations can influence the way people act

consider whether having a conscience leads to ways of acting ethically in different scenarios

articulate a range of ethical responses to situations in various social contexts

analyse perceptions of occurrences and possible ethical response in challenging scenarios

evaluate diverse perceptions and ethical bases of action in complex contexts

Examples

• identifying the difference between wants and needs at school

Examples

• assessing that a person is distressed and offering assistance

Examples

• considering responses to the questions ’What would I do?’ and ‘What should I do?' in a range of scenarios

Examples

• weighing the relative merits of actions to prevent harm to animals

History ACHHK095

Examples

• discussing whether or not witnesses should come forward in response to an event

Examples

• considering times when limiting liberty or free speech may be the best option

English ACELA1565

History ACDSEH109


Exploring values, rights and responsibilities








Examine values

identify values that are important to them

discuss some agreed values in familiar contexts

identify and describe shared values in familiar and unfamiliar contexts

examine values accepted and enacted within various communities

assess the relevance of beliefs and the role and application of values in social practices

analyse and explain the interplay of values in national and international forums and policy making

Examples

• discussing care for self and others

Examples

• discussing the value of giving everyone a fair go

Examples

• acknowledging the need for honesty, respect and equality when working with others

Examples

• exploring instances where equality, fairness, dignity and non-discrimination are required

Examples

• exploring different beliefs and values when seeking to solve social and workplace problems and dilemmas

History ACDSEH039

Examples

• explaining the complexity of factors leading to policies such as mandatory detention

Science ACSHE230

Explore rights and responsibilities

share examples of rights and responsibilities in given situations

identify their rights and associated responsibilities and those of their classmates

investigate children’s rights and responsibilities at school and in the local community

monitor consistency between rights and responsibilities when interacting face-to-face or through social media

analyse rights and responsibilities in relation to the duties of a responsible citizen

evaluate the merits of conflicting rights and responsibilities in global contexts

Examples

• discussing reasons for and behaviours associated with school rules

Examples

• exploring rights and responsibilities, such as friendship and care for others at home and school

Examples

• examining the relevance of rights, such as freedom and protection, in everyday situations

Examples

• establishing differences between freedom of speech and destructive criticism in debates or through social media

History ACHHK114

Examples

• analysing actions when seeking to solve disagreements in a range of social and work-based situations

Examples

• investigating the role of law in maintaining peace in public and private domains

History ACDSEH023









Consider points of view

express their own point of view and listen to the views of others

recognise that there may be many points of view when probing ethical dilemmas and identify alternative views

describe different points of view associated with an ethical dilemma and give possible reasons for these differences

explain a range of possible interpretations and points of view when thinking about ethical dilemmas

draw conclusions from a range of points of view associated with challenging ethical dilemmas

use reasoning skills to prioritise the relative merits of points of view about complex ethical dilemmas

Examples

• offering opinions in discussions that involve ethical considerations

Examples

• identifying a range of views on caring for the environment

English ACELT1589

Examples

• deciding on what basis an idea or action is trustworthy

English ACELT1603

Examples

• finding and unpacking biased research findings

English ACELT1609

Examples

• recognising the consequences of the non-disclosure of relevant facts for the outcomes of societal conflicts

English ACELT1807

History ACDSEH043

Examples

• examining attitudes towards environments, diversity and socioeconomic disparity between groups of people

English ACELT1812

History ACDSEH125


Intercultural understanding Introduction

In the Australian Curriculum, students develop intercultural understanding as they learn to value their own cultures, languages and beliefs, and those of others. They come to understand how personal, group and national identities are shaped, and the variable and changing nature of culture. The capability involves students in learning about and engaging with diverse cultures in ways that recognise commonalities and differences, create connections with others and cultivate mutual respect.

Intercultural understanding is an essential part of living with others in the diverse world of the twenty-first century. It assists young people to become responsible local and global citizens, equipped through their education for living and working together in an interconnected world.

The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA 2008) recognises the fundamental role that education plays in building a society that is ‘cohesive and culturally diverse, and that values Australia’s Indigenous cultures’ (MCEETYA, p. 4). Intercultural understanding addresses this role, developing students who are active and informed citizens with an appreciation of Australia’s social, cultural, linguistic and religious diversity, and the ability to relate to and communicate across cultures at local, regional and global levels.

Scope of Intercultural understanding

Intercultural understanding combines personal, interpersonal and social knowledge and skills. It involves students in learning to value and view critically their own cultural perspectives and practices and those of others through their interactions with people, texts and contexts across the curriculum.

Intercultural understanding encourages students to make connections between their own worlds and the worlds of others, to build on shared interests and commonalities, and to negotiate or mediate difference. It develops students’ abilities to communicate and empathise with others and to analyse intercultural experiences critically. It offers opportunities for them to consider their own beliefs and attitudes in a new light, and so gain insight into themselves and others.

Intercultural understanding stimulates students’ interest in the lives of others. It cultivates values and dispositions such as curiosity, care, empathy, reciprocity, respect and responsibility, open-mindedness and critical awareness, and supports new and positive intercultural behaviours. Though all are significant in learning to live together, three dispositions – expressing empathy, demonstrating respect and taking responsibility – have been identified as critical to the development of Intercultural understanding in the Australian Curriculum.

For a description of the organising elements for Intercultural understanding, go to Organising elements.


Intercultural understanding across the curriculum

Although Intercultural understanding focuses primarily on the development of skills, behaviours and dispositions, it also draws on students’ growing knowledge, understanding and critical awareness of their own and others’ cultural perspectives and practices derived from learning area content.

Intercultural understanding is more apparent in some learning areas than others, being most evident in those aspects of learning concerned with people and their societies, relationships and interactions, and in conjunction with the cross-curriculum priorities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia, and Sustainability.

Intercultural understanding is addressed through the learning areas and is identified wherever it is developed or applied in content descriptions. It is also identified where it offers opportunities to add depth and richness to student learning in content elaborations. An icon indicates where Intercultural understanding has been identified in learning area content descriptions and elaborations. A filter function on the Australian Curriculum website assists users to find where Intercultural understanding has been identified in F–10 curriculum content. Teachers may find further opportunities to incorporate explicit teaching of Intercultural understanding depending on their choice of activities. Students can also be encouraged to develop capability through personally relevant initiatives of their own design.

• Intercultural understanding in English (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/General-capabilities)

• Intercultural understanding in Mathematics (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Mathematics/General-capabilities)

• Intercultural understanding in Science (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Science/General-capabilities)

• Intercultural understanding in History (www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/History/General-capabilities)

Background

This background summarises the evidence base from which the Intercultural understanding capability’s introduction, organising elements and learning continuum have been developed. It draws on recent international and national research, as well as initiatives and programs that focus on intercultural understanding across the curriculum.

Intercultural understanding is a relatively recent addition to Australian school curriculums. It has its origins in several fields including cultural studies (Hall 1997), language education (Kramsch 1998; Liddicoat, Lo Bianco and Crozet 1999), multicultural education (Banks and Banks 2004; Noble and Poynting 2000) and more broadly in sociology, linguistics and anthropology. Given its diverse origins, it is not surprising that the nature and place of intercultural learning are by no means settled and the definition of the term ‘culture’ is itself not agreed upon.

The Intercultural understanding capability adopts the Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages (ACARA 2011) definition of culture as involving:








‘… a complex system of concepts, values, norms, beliefs and practices that are shared, created and contested by people who make up a cultural group and are passed on from generation to generation. Cultural systems include variable ways of seeing, interpreting and understanding the world. They are constructed and transmitted by members of the group through the processes of socialisation and representation’. (p.16)

Drawing on this definition, Intercultural understanding focuses on sharing, creating and contesting different cultural perceptions and practices, and supports the development of a critical awareness of the processes of socialisation and representation that shape and maintain cultural differences.

Furthermore, in acknowledging the founding status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in Australia, it is alert to the place of negotiation and boundaries in engagements at the cultural interface (Nakata 2007) and mindful of practices that both celebrate and protect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage (Janke 2008). In recognising the importance for Australia of maintaining positive relations and communications in its region, it promotes recognition, communication and engagement with the different countries and cultures within Asia. It also supports the development of a strong vision for a sustained and peaceful global future.

Intercultural understanding assumes an integral connection between language and culture, acknowledging language as the primary means through which people establish and exchange shared meaning and ways of seeing the world (Scarino, Dellitt and Vale 2007). It works on the assumption that, in learning to live together in a world of social, cultural, linguistic and religious diversity, students need to look beyond their immediate worlds and concerns (Arigatou Foundation 2008) and engage with the experience and ideas of others (Appiah 2006) in order to understand the politics of culture on the world stage (Sleeter and Grant 2003).

Intercultural understanding identifies knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that assist students in developing and acting with intercultural understanding at school and in their lives beyond school. At a personal level, Intercultural understanding encourages students to engage with their own and others’ cultures, building both their sense of belonging and their capacity to move between their own worlds and the worlds of others (Kalantzis and Cope 2005), recognising the attitudes and structures that shape their personal identities and narratives.

At an interpersonal level, it considers commonalities and differences between people, focusing on processes of interaction, dialogue and negotiation. It seeks to develop students’ abilities to empathise with others, to analyse their experiences critically and to reflect on their learning as a means of better understanding themselves and people they perceive to be different from themselves (Liddicoat, Papademetre, Scarino and Kohler 2003; Wiggins and McTighe 2005). It provides opportunities for students to question the attitudes and assumptions of cultural groups in light of the consequences and outcomes for others.

At a social level, Intercultural understanding builds students’ sense of the complex nature of their own histories, traditions and values, and of the history, traditions and values that underpin Australian society (MCEETYA 2008). Students learn to interpret and mediate cultural inequalities within their own and other societies. They learn to take responsibility for their interactions with others, to act on what they have learnt and to become intercultural citizens in the world (Byram 2008).


References

Appiah, A. 2006, Cosmopolitanism: ethics in a world of strangers, 1st edn, W.W. Norton, New York.

Arigatou Foundation 2008, Learning to Live Together: an intercultural and interfaith programme for ethics education, Arigatou Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland.

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority 2011, Draft Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages, Sydney: www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Draft+Shape+of+the+Australian+Curriculum+-+Languages+-+FINAL.pdf (accessed 7 October 2011).

Banks, J.A. & Banks, C.A.M. (eds) 2004, Multicultural Education: issues and perspectives, 5th edn, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ.

Byram, M. 2008, From Foreign Language Education to Education for Intercultural Citizenship: essays and reflections, Multilingual Matters Ltd, Clevedon, Buffalo, England; Multilingual Matters, Buffalo, NY.

Hall, S. (ed) 1997, Representation: cultural representations and signifying practices, Sage, in association with The Open University, London.

Janke, T. 2008, 'Indigenous knowledge and intellectual property: negotiating the spaces', The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, vol. 37, pp. 14–24.

Kalantzis, M. & Cope, B. 2005, Learning by Design, Common Ground Publishing, Melbourne.

Kramsch, C.J. 1998, Language and Culture, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Liddicoat, A., Lo Bianco, J. & Crozet, C. (eds) 1999, Striving for the Third Place: intercultural competence through language education, Language Australia, Canberra.

Liddicoat, A., Papademetre, L., Scarino, A. & Kohler, M. 2003, Report on Intercultural Language Learning, Commonwealth of Australia, ACT.


Nakata, M. 2007, 'The cultural interface', The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, vol. 36, pp. 7–14.

Noble, G. & Poynting, S. 2000, 'Multicultural Education and Intercultural Understanding: Ethnicity, Culture and Schooling', in C. Scott and S. Dinham (eds), Teaching in Context, pp. 56–81, Australian Council for Educational Research, Camberwell, Victoria.

Scarino, A., Dellitt, J. & Vale, D. 2007, A Rationale for Language Learning in the 21st Century: www.mltasa.asn.au/rationale.htm (accessed 7 October 2011).

Sleeter, C. & Grant, C. 2003, Making Choices for Multicultural Education: five approaches to race, class, and gender, John Wiley & Sons, New York.

http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Draft+Shape+of+the+Australian+Curriculum+-+Languages+-+FINAL.pdf

http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Draft+Shape+of+the+Australian+Curriculum+-+Languages+-+FINAL.pdf



http://www.mltasa.asn.au/rationale.htm


United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 2006, Guidelines on Intercultural Education, Paris: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001478/147878e.pdf (accessed 7 October 2011).

Wiggins, G.P. & McTighe, J. 2005, Understanding by Design, expanded 2nd edn, Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, New Jersey.

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001478/147878e.pdf


Organising elements

The Intercultural understanding learning continuum is organised into three interrelated organising elements:

• Recognising culture and developing respect • Interacting and empathising with others • Reflecting on intercultural experiences and taking responsibility


Organising elements for Intercultural understanding

Recognising culture and developing respect

This element involves students in identifying, observing, describing and analysing increasingly sophisticated characteristics of their own cultural identities and those of others. These range from easily observed characteristics such as group memberships, traditions, customs and ways of doing things, to less readily observed characteristics such as values, attitudes, obligations, roles, religious beliefs and ways of thinking.

Students move from their known worlds to explore new ideas and experiences related to specific cultural groups through opportunities provided in the learning areas. They compare their own knowledge and experiences with those of others, learning to recognise commonalities, acknowledging differences between their lives and recognising the need to engage in critical reflection about such differences, seeking to understand them.

Strong intercultural relationships are built on mutual respect between people, communities and countries. Respect is based on the recognition that every person is important and must be treated with dignity. It includes recognising and appreciating differences between people and respecting another person’s point of view and their human rights.

In developing and acting with intercultural understanding, students:

• investigate culture and cultural identity • explore and compare cultural knowledge, beliefs and practices • develop respect for cultural diversity.


Interacting and empathising with others

This element gives an experiential dimension to intercultural learning in contexts that may be face-to-face, virtual or vicarious. It involves students in developing the skills to relate to and move between cultures through engagement with different cultural groups. Through perspective taking, students think about familiar concepts in new ways, encouraging flexibility, adaptability and a willingness to try new cultural experiences. Empathy assists students to develop a sense of solidarity with others through imagining the perspectives and experiences of others as if they were their own. Empathy involves imagining what it might be like to ‘walk in another’s shoes’ and identifying with others' feelings, situations and motivations.


• communicate across cultures • consider and develop multiple perspectives • empathise with others.

Reflecting on intercultural experiences and taking responsibility

The capacity to process or reflect on the meaning of experience is an essential element in intercultural learning. Students use reflection to better understand the actions of individuals and groups in specific situations and how these are shaped by culture. They are encouraged to reflect on their own responses to intercultural encounters and to identify cultural influences that may have contributed to these. They learn to ‘stand between cultures’ and mediate cultural difference.

To cultivate respect, students need to reflect on and to take responsibility for their own behaviours and their interactions with others within and across cultures. They understand that behaviour can have unintended effects on individuals and communities, and they identify situations requiring intercultural understanding. In developing responsibility, students learn to respect the human rights of others and the values of democracy, equity and justice (MCEETYA 2008).


• reflect on intercultural experiences • challenge stereotypes and prejudices • mediate cultural difference.

.


Intercultural Understanding Learning Continuum

Recognising culture and developing respect







Investigate culture and cultural identity

share ideas about self and belonging with peers

identify and describe the various groups to which they belong and the ways people act and communicate within them

identify and describe variability within and across cultural groups

identify and describe the roles that culture and language play in shaping group and national identities

explain ways that cultural groups and identities change over time and in different contexts

analyse how membership of local, regional, national and international groups shapes identities including their own

Examples • identifying the

language(s) they speak, describing something special about themselves or their families

Examples • identifying who they

are and where they are from

Examples

• identifying diversity within a cultural group, such as members who challenge expectations of the cultural make-up of that group

Examples

• exploring the idea that countries have national identities which can change over time

Examples • investigating the

effects of time, re-location and changing ideas on cultural identity

Examples

• investigating the concept of multiple identities, and opportunities to operate across cultural boundaries


English ACELA1443 History ACHHK028

English ACELT1594 Mathematics ACMNA080 History ACHHS077

English ACELA1515 History ACHHKS096

English ACELT1619 Mathematics ACMMG199 History ACDSEH043

English ACELT1633 History ACDSEH110

Explore and compare cultural knowledge, beliefs and practices identify, explore and compare culturally diverse activities and objects

describe and compare the way they live with people in other places or times

describe and compare a range of cultural stories, events and artefacts

describe and compare the knowledge, beliefs and practices of various cultural groups in relation to a specific time, event or custom

analyse the dynamic nature of cultural knowledge, beliefs and practices in a range of personal, social and historical contexts

critically analyse the complex and dynamic nature of knowledge, beliefs and practices in a wide range of contexts over time








Examples

• comparing what foods are eaten at home or on special occasions

Examples

• comparing how people in different places dress, where they live, their celebrations and daily activities

Examples

• comparing media, texts, dance and music from diverse cultural groups including their own, exploring connection to place

Examples

• comparing ways of celebrating births and marking deaths or ‘coming of age’ in different cultures and subcultures

Examples

• examining gender roles, concepts of family or relationship to the land

Examples

• exploring the complexities of traditional and contemporary cultures in a range of real and virtual settings

English ACELT1575 Mathematics ACMNA002 Science ACSSU004 History ACHHK003

English ACELT1587 Mathematics ACMNA040 Science ACSHE035 History ACHHK046

English ACELT1602 Mathematics ACMMG091 Science ACSHE061 History ACHHK060

English ACELT1613 Mathematics ACMMG140 Science ACSHE099 History ACHHK094

English ACELT1626 Science ACSHE119 History ACDSEH033

English ACELT1639 Mathematics ACMSP228 Science ACSHE228 History ACDSEH149

Develop respect for cultural diversity

discuss ideas about cultural diversity in local contexts

describe ways that diversity presents opportunities for new experiences and understandings

identify and discuss the significance of a range of cultural events, artefacts or stories recognised in the school, community or nation

discuss opportunities that cultural diversity offers within Australia and the Asia-Pacific region

understand the importance of maintaining and celebrating cultural traditions for the development of personal, group and national identities

understand the importance of mutual respect in promoting cultural exchange and collaboration in an interconnected world

Examples • identifying cultural

dimensions in familiar stories and events

Examples

• describing their participation in a range of cultural events at school or in their local community

Examples • explaining the

significance of a range of religious and cultural holidays and celebrations

Examples

• describing contributions that people from diverse cultural groups make to the community over time

Examples

• investigating the complex relationship between language, culture, and identity and efforts to protect these

Examples

• upholding the dignity and rights of others when participating in international online networks

English ACELT1578 Mathematics ACMNA001 History ACHHK003

English ACELT1591 Mathematics ACMMG041 History ACHHK045

History ACHHK063 English ACELT1608 Mathematics ACMMG144 Science ACSHE099 History ACHHK116

English ACELA1540 History ACDSEH054

English ACELT1634 Science ACSHE228 History ACDSEH143


Interacting and empathising with others







Communicate across cultures

recognise that people use different languages to communicate

describe how the use of words and body language in interactions may have different meanings for various cultural groups

recognise there are similarities and differences in the ways people communicate, both within and across cultural groups

identify factors that contribute to understanding in intercultural communication and discuss some strategies to avoid misunderstanding

explore ways that culture shapes the use of language in a wide range of contexts

analyse the complex relationship between language, thought and context to understand and enhance communication

Examples • learning and

practising greetings in several languages

Examples

• discussing the meanings of a range of facial expressions and whether these mean the same thing to all people

Examples

• identifying various ways that people communicate depending on their relationship

Examples

• testing a range of strategies to overcome culturally based misunderstandings in given scenarios

Examples • understanding how

culture influences what people do or do not say to express cultural values, such as politeness

Examples

• engaging with texts to gain insight into the way culture shapes perspective

English ACELT1784 Mathematics ACMNA001 History ACHHK004




English ACELA1551 History ACDSEH088

Consider and develop multiple perspectives express their opinions and listen to the opinions of others in given situations

express their own perspectives on familiar topics and texts, and identify the perspectives of others

identify and describe shared perspectives within and across various cultural groups

explain perspectives that differ to expand their understanding of an issue

assess diverse perspectives and the assumptions on which they are based

present a balanced view on issues where conflicting views cannot easily be resolved

Examples

• sharing views on foods they like, or ways their families celebrate significant cultural events

Examples

• exploring a variety of perspectives on a specific event

Examples

• exploring a range of perspectives on an issue through role plays

Examples

• presenting the case for a perspective that differs from their own

Examples • exploring the factors

that cause people to hold different perspectives

Examples

• presenting multiple perspectives on complex social, environmental or economic issues








English ACELT1578 History ACHHK004


English ACELT1602 Mathematics ACMMG140 Science ACSHE061 History ACHHS069

English ACELT1610 Mathematics ACMSP169 Science ACSHE099 History ACHHK115

English ACELT1619 Mathematics ACMSP206 Science ACSHE136 History ACDSEH076

English ACELT1634 Mathematics ACMSP227 History ACDSEH141

Empathise with others

imagine and describe their own feelings if they were put in someone else’s place

imagine and describe the feelings of others in familiar situations

imagine and describe the feelings of others in a range of contexts

imagine and describe the situations of others in local, national and global contexts

imagine and describe the feelings and motivations of people in challenging situations

recognise the effect that empathising with others has on their own feelings, motivations and actions

Examples

• describing how they might feel in the place of people in stories or events

Examples

• describing how a new student might feel on their first day in their school

Examples

• describing how children in a range of locations, such as urban or rural areas or in different countries, feel about their place

Examples,

• presenting another person’s story as seen through their eyes or as if ‘walking in their shoes’

Examples

• describing the possible feelings and motivations of people facing adversity, natural disasters or conflict

Examples

• imagining and reflecting on the impact their words and actions have on others

English ACELT1783 English ACELT1582 English ACELT1596 English ACELT1610 English ACELA1564


Reflecting on intercultural experiences and taking responsibility







Reflect on intercultural experiences

identify and describe memorable intercultural experiences

identify and describe what they have learnt about others from intercultural encounters and culturally diverse texts

identify and describe what they have learnt about themselves and others from real, virtual and vicarious intercultural experiences

explain what and how they have learnt from a wide range of intercultural interactions and experiences

reflect critically on the representation of various cultural groups in texts and the media and how they respond

reflect critically on the effect of intercultural experiences on their own attitudes and beliefs and those of others

Examples

• describing the visit of an Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or other community elder to their class

Examples

• describing what they have learnt about children in other places such as ’sister schools’

Examples

• identifying parallels between their own lives and the lives of others through a range of texts and media depicting diverse cultures

Examples

• explaining ways that different cultural perspectives have influenced their work or their thinking

Examples

• examining their responses to instances of cultural stereotyping

Examples

• describing how exposure to a diversity of views, ideas or experiences has or has not changed their thinking on an issue

English ACELT1580

English ACELY1655 Science ACSHE035 History ACHHK028

English ACELT1596 History ACHHS080


English ACELT1806

English ACELT1635

Challenge stereotypes and prejudices identify examples of the acceptance and inclusion of others in given situations

discuss the effects of acceptance and inclusion in familiar situations

explain the dangers of making generalisations about individuals and groups

explain the impact of stereotypes and prejudices on individuals and groups within Australia

identify and challenge stereotypes and prejudices in the representation of group, national and regional identities

critique the use of stereotypes and prejudices in texts and issues concerning specific cultural groups at national, regional and global levels








Examples

• describing what inclusion might look and sound like in the classroom or playground

Examples

• role playing situations that explore varying outcomes of accepting and being accepted by others

Examples

• discussing the truth of statements about groups of people that begin with the word 'all'

Examples

• describing possible effects of prejudice on the daily life of a person from a minority group

Examples

• analysing the media representation of Australia’s relations with countries in the Asia-Pacific region over time

Examples

• assessing the use of stereotypes in the portrayal of cultural minorities in national conflicts

English ACELT 1575

English ACELA1462

History ACHHS080

History ACHHK114

English ACELT1807

English ACELY1749 History ACDSEH145

Mediate cultural difference

identify similarities and differences between themselves and their peers

recognise that cultural differences may affect understanding between people

identify ways of reaching understanding between culturally diverse groups

discuss ways of reconciling differing cultural values and perspectives in addressing common concerns

identify and address challenging issues in ways that respect cultural diversity and the right of all to be heard

recognise the challenges and benefits of living and working in a culturally diverse society and the role that cultural mediation plays in learning to live together

Examples

• identifying shared interests or hobbies with peers

Examples

• seeking to understand the words and actions of others which may at first seem odd or strange to them

Examples

• identifying common ground and shared interests, or developing shared projects with others

Examples

• describing ways of reaching understanding through dialogue

Examples

• engaging with views they know to be different from their own to challenge their own thinking

Examples

• balancing the representation and defence of their ideas and perspectives with those of others in a range of social forums


English ACELT1590

English ACELA1488 History ACHHS080


English ACELY1731 Science ACSHE136

English ACELA1564 Mathematics ACMSP253 History ACDSEH146

Australian Curriculum - F10 - English

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