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
Magical Story Starters Task Cards
Get your students writing magical stories with this set of story starter task cards.
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My Strange Shrinking Parents – Literature Task Cards
Deep dive into the characters and themes of Zeno Sworder’s highly acclaimed book, My Strange Shrinking Parents, with this set of 12 literature task cards.
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Developing and Introducing Bills – Comprehension Worksheets
Explore how bills are introduced and developed through the parliamentary process with this differentiated reading comprehension activity.
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Persuasive Writing Bump It Up Wall – Year 6
A visual display for your classroom to help students ‘bump up’ their persuasive writing.
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Informative Writing Bump It Up Wall – Year 6
A visual display for your classroom to help students ‘bump up’ their informative writing.
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Biography Flip Book Template
Create a flipbook that clearly illustrates the most significant aspects of a biography subject.
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The Discovery of Tutankhamen's Tomb – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for an information report from the Year 6 magazine (Issue 3).
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NAPLAN-Style Assessment Rubric – Biographical Texts
Use this NAPLAN-style rubric to assess students’ biography writing as you prepare students for Year 5 tests.
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Review Text Type Poster With Annotations
A poster about reviews, including an annotated example.
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-Ty and -Ity Suffixes Worksheet
Practise using the suffixes -ty and -ity with a printable suffix worksheet.
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Finding Word Meaning In Context - Word Detective Worksheet
A teaching resource to help teach your students how to find word meaning in context.
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120 Comprehension Strategy Question Cards
A set of 120 open-ended question cards to help students apply comprehension strategies when reading.
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Comprehension - King Tutankhamun
A comprehension activity about King Tutankhamun.
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Reading Detectives Bookmarks
8 colourful reading detective bookmarks to use during guided reading sessions in the classroom.
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Comprehension - The Great Wall of China
A comprehension activity about The Great Wall of China.
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Editing Symbols Chart
Use this editing symbols chart to help simplify the proofreading process for your students.
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Year 5 Reading Comprehension Worksheets - Superstitions
Learn about common superstitions and beliefs with a printable reading comprehenion passage for Year 5.
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Procedural Recount Text Type Poster With Annotations
A poster about the procedural recount text type, including an annotated example.
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QAR Generic Question Cards
A set of 28 generic QAR question cards for students to use as a comprehension task after reading.
- Free Plan
Paralympic Sports – Inquiry-Based Project
Have your students investigate the different types of Paralympic sports with this inquiry-based learning project.
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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.
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Embedded Clauses Matching Game
Explore embedded clauses with this fun matching game that helps students practise building complete sentences in a collaborative setting.
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Visual Comprehension Slide Deck
Bring visual comprehension to life in your classroom with this engaging slide deck designed to spark critical thinking and boost student engagement.
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When to Use Formal and Informal Language Teaching Slides
Teach your students when to use formal and informal language with this engaging set of teaching slides designed to help students confidently distinguish between language styles in real-world contexts.
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Cohesive Sentence Interactive Activity
Engage students with interactive slides that teach the features of a cohesive sentence through a variety of hands-on activities.
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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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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.
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Formal vs Informal Language Sorting Activity
Engage students in identifying formal vs informal language with this sorting activity that helps build understanding through real-world sentence examples.
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Reader Response Journal for Literature
Help students think critically about key story elements such as character, plot and theme with this 22-page reader response journal set.
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Cultural Context in Literature Graphic Organiser
Explore cultural context in literature with this two-page graphic organiser that helps students examine how cultural traditions, values and norms influence texts.
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Social Context in Literature Graphic Organiser
Support students to explore social context in literature with this two-page graphic organiser that helps them explore societal norms in a piece of literature.
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Historical Context in Literature Graphic Organiser
Support students to explore historical context in literature with this two-page graphic organiser that helps them record key historical details from a piece of literature.