Year 6
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 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 and strengthen these as needed.
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 face-to-face 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.
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 students in Years 5 and 6 as independent readers describe complex sequences, a range of non-stereotypical characters and elaborated events including flashbacks and shifts in time. These texts explore themes of interpersonal relationships and ethical dilemmas within real-world 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.
(source: www.australiancurriculum.edu.au)
Achievement Standard
Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)
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 and complex 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.
Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)
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 an understanding of grammar, and make considered vocabulary choices to enhance cohesion and structure in their writing. They use accurate spelling and punctuation for clarity and make and explain editorial choices based on criteria.
(source: www.australiancurriculum.edu.au)
- Plus Plan
Writing Information Reports Teaching Slides
Teach your students the features of information reports using this detailed slideshow targeted at upper primary school students.
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The Sinking of the RMS Titanic - Historical Recounts Comparison Task
A comprehension task to enable students to compare literary historical recounts and factual historical recounts.
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Difficult Spelling Words – Digital Quiz
Explore difficult spelling words with this interactive digital quiz, where students identify the correct spelling word to match the definition.
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Cohesive Paragraph Digital Quiz
Explore what makes a cohesive paragraph using this interactive digital quiz that helps students identify cohesive devices in context.
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Formal vs Informal Language Worksheet Pack
Download this formal vs informal language worksheet pack to help students strengthen their understanding of language in real-world contexts.
- Free Plan
Capitalisation Worksheet - Abbreviations, Initials, Acronyms, and Organisations (5-6)
Use our upper years Capitalisation practice worksheet to practice capitalising abbreviations, initials, acronyms and names of organisations.
- Free Plan
Word Detective Worksheet - Context Clues
Assign our Word Detective Worksheet to give your students extra practice in using context clues to find the meaning of unfamiliar words.
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Three Levels of Reading Posters
Teach your students to read beyond the lines, between the lines and on the lines with a set of printable 3 Levels of Reading posters.
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Kangaroo Information Report – Writing Project
Get your students to write a kangaroo information report using this fact file, graphic organiser and writing scaffold.
- Plus Plan
Australian Conservationists: Miranda Gibson – Comprehension Worksheet
Learn about Miranda Gibson and her conservation work with this 2-page reading passage and accompanying comprehension questions.
- Plus Plan
Exaggeration and Hyperbole Interactive Activity
Explore hyperbole examples with your students using this digital game perfect for lesson warm-ups or lesson wrap-ups.
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Year 6 Magazine - What's Buzzing? (Issue 2)
Issue 2 of our beautifully designed, 24-page reading magazine specifically designed for Year 6 students.
- Free Plan
Prefix Puzzles - Match Up Cards
Practise building, reading, and understanding the meaning of words with prefixes with a fun set of prefix puzzles.
- Plus Plan
Explanation Texts Writing Scaffold
A scaffolding sheet that can be used to write an explanation text.
- Plus Plan
Biography Poster With Annotations
Use this biography poster to introduce your students to the structure and language features of biography writing through an annotated example.
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Components of Poetry PowerPoint
An editable PowerPoint to use when teaching the essential components of poetry.
- Plus Plan
Oral Presentation Assessment Rubric
A rubric designed to help teachers to assess students' oral presentations.
- Plus Plan
Write a Biography PowerPoint
Use this age-appropriate biography PowerPoint to teach your students about the purpose, structure and features of biographical texts.
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NAPLAN-Style Assessment Rubric - Narrative Writing
A NAPLAN-style rubric designed to help teachers to assess students' narrative writing.
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Year 6 Dictation Passages PowerPoint
Use this set of Year 6 dictation passages to promote listening and transcription skills in your students.
- Free Plan
Advertisement Text Type Poster With Annotations
A poster about advertisements, including an annotated example.
- Plus Plan
Analysing Poetry Teaching Slides
Teach your students how to analyse poetry using the SMILE technique with this comprehensive and age-appropriate slide deck.
- Plus Plan
Cause and Effect - Sentence Sort Worksheet
A worksheet and answer sheet to use when teaching students the cause and effect comprehension strategy.
- Plus Plan
Information Report Structure Worksheet – The Apple iPad
Teach your students about information report structure with this cut-and-paste sequencing worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Year 5 Reading Worksheets - The Business of Bees
Read and learn about bees, pollination and honey production with a reading comprehension passage and worksheet pack.
- Plus Plan
Comprehension - What are Earthquakes?
A comprehension activity about 'What are Earthquakes?'
- Plus Plan
What are Bushfires? Cloze Worksheet
A cloze worksheet about bushfires.
- Plus Plan
Fiction and Non-Fiction Cloze Activities
A set of 7 fiction and non-fiction cloze worksheets with answer sheets.
- Plus Plan
Writing Editing Checklist
Get your students using this editing checklist so that no mistake gets left behind!
- Plus Plan
Adjective Clause Digital Quiz
Teach your students about the adjective clause with this interactive digital quiz that helps them identify how these descriptive clauses add detail to sentences.
- Plus Plan
Literary Context Task Cards
Explore literary context using this set of 36 engaging task cards designed to help students analyse the historical, social and cultural influences behind the texts they read.
- Plus Plan
Analysing Advertisements Inquiry Project
Unlock critical thinking skills by analysing advertisements in different contexts with this engaging inquiry-based project designed to deepen students’ media literacy.