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
Write a Cinquain Poem Worksheet
Set your students up for success when writing a cinquain poem with this set of scaffolded, easy-to-follow worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Comprehension Task Cards - Recalling Facts And Details
A set of comprehension task cards to help students recall facts and details when reading.
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Reading Detectives Resource Pack
A 16 page resource pack including 8 detective roles to assign to students during guided reading sessions.
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Information Report Fact Files and Scaffolding Sheet
Use this set of 5 fact files and information report scaffold sheet to support your students in writing a detailed and well-structured information report.
- Plus Plan
Paragraph Study Grammar Interactive PowerPoint
Interactive PowerPoint presentation allowing teachers and students to learn and revise grammar by highlighting paragraphs.
- Plus Plan
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.
- 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
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.
- Plus Plan
Biography of an Immigrant Writing Project
Uncover the untold stories of migrants with an enriching biography research project for upper primary students.
- Plus Plan
Australian Immigration – Analysing Infographics Worksheet
Explore Australian immigration trends with your students by analysing a kid-friendly infographic and answering guided questions.
- Plus Plan
Author’s Purpose Graphic Organiser Pack
Explore the purpose of an author's writing with these Author's Purpose Graphic Organisers.
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Paired Passage Worksheets - Thunderstorms
Use paired passages to help your student practise applying reading comprehension strategies.
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Comprehension Task Cards Summarising
Practise summarising text with these relevant events-based texts.
- Plus Plan
Finding the Main Idea Poster
A poster highlighting how to find the main idea when reading a piece of text.
- Plus Plan
Explanation Text Writing Task – How Does the Water Cycle Work?
A scaffolded writing task for students to complete when learning about the explanation text type.
- Plus Plan
Greek and Latin Roots – Word Tree Anchor Charts
Encourage vocabulary development with 24 Greek and Latin root anchor charts.
- Free Plan
Common Prefixes - Domino Game
Identify new words that include common prefixes with 28 prefixes and root word dominoes.
- Plus Plan
Greek and Latin Root Words - Illustrated Word Wall
Use word wall displays to build student vocabulary with daily exposure to Greek and Latin root words.
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Prefixes, Suffixes and Roots - Dictionary Hunt Worksheet
Investigate the morphological meanings of word-parts with this dictionary hunt.
- Free Plan
Biography Brochure Template
A brochure template to use when writing biographies.
- Free Plan
Peer Politics: Moving On (Comic) – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a comic from the Year 6 magazine (Issue 3).
- Plus Plan
Making Connections Grid
A worksheet for students to practise making connections with a piece of text.
- Plus Plan
Advertisement Worksheet – Milton Mentor
A comprehension worksheet for a persuasive magazine advertisement about a digital personal assistant.
- Free Plan
Letter to the Editor (Voting Rights) – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a letter to the editor from the Year 6 magazine (Issue 3).
- Plus Plan
J. K. Rowling Biography and Worksheet
Download this J.K. Rowling biography and worksheet, designed to help students learn about the life, education and writing career of the world-famous author.
- Plus Plan
Land Rights Timeline Worksheet
A printable Land Rights Timeline worksheet for your students to complete in your classroom.
- Plus Plan
Australia Day Cloze Worksheet
A cloze activity based on information about Australia Day.
- Free Plan
Inference vs Prediction Poster
A poster outlining the similarities and differences between inference and prediction.
- Plus Plan
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.
- Plus Plan
Cohesive Devices List
Download this cohesive devices list for your students to refer to when writing a variety of text types.
- Plus Plan
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.