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 a Narrative – Template
A template for students to use when planning a narrative text.
- Plus Plan
Genre of the Month - Writing Prompt Grids (Upper)
Introduce your students to a variety of writing genres with our printable genre-specific writing prompt grids.
- Free Plan
Plural Nouns Chart — Printable Plural Rules Guide
Help students remember the different plural rules with a handy printable guide created for teachers to hand out.
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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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Speaking Skills for Oral Presentations Poster
A poster that explains the skills students need for a great oral presentation!
- 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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Reading Comprehension Strategies PowerPoint – Making Connections
A 14 slide editable PowerPoint template explaining the reading comprehension strategy of making connections.
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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
Fiction and Non-Fiction Cloze Activities
A set of 7 fiction and non-fiction cloze worksheets with answer sheets.
- Plus Plan
Analysing Persuasive Devices Worksheets
Get students analysing persuasive techniques and their effects on audiences with this set of three texts with accompanying questions.
- Plus Plan
Compound-Complex Sentence Test
Assess your students' understanding of compound-complex sentences with a printable Compound-Complex Sentence Test.
- Plus Plan
What Causes the Seasons? Explanation Text Writing Task
Use this scaffolded writing task to have students write about how seasons change.
- Plus Plan
Biography Writing Bump It Up Wall
Use this visual display in your classroom to help students ‘bump up’ their biography writing.
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Explanation Text Writing Task – How Does a Plane Fly?
A scaffolded writing task for students to complete when learning about the explanation text type.
- 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
Reading Comprehension Strategies PowerPoint - Visualising
A 12 slide editable PowerPoint template explaining the reading comprehension strategy of visualising.
- Plus Plan
Persuasive Texts Writing Scaffold
A one page scaffolding sheet which can be used to write a persuasive text.
- Plus Plan
English Spelling Practice Activity Cards
Make English spelling practice more exciting with this set of 24 spelling activity task cards.
- Plus Plan
Comprehension Task Cards Summarising
Practise summarising text with these relevant events-based texts.
- Plus Plan
The History of Australia's Parliamentary System - Comprehension Worksheets
Explore the ins and outs of Australia’s parliamentary history with this reading comprehension activity.
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The World's Oceans - Comprehension Worksheet
Explore the world’s five oceans with this detailed comprehension passage and related questions.
- Plus Plan
Interpreting Figurative Language - Worksheets
Explore figurative language in poetry with this age-appropriate poem and accompanying vocabulary questions.
- Free Plan
Biography Brochure Template
A brochure template to use when writing biographies.
- Plus Plan
Informative Writing Bump It Up Wall – Year 6
A visual display for your classroom to help students ‘bump up’ their informative writing.
- Plus Plan
Advertisement Worksheet – K-9ine the Robot Dog
A comprehension worksheet for a persuasive magazine advertisement about a robotic dog.
- Plus Plan
Blast Off with Space Rex 2000 – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a fake advertisement from the Year 5 magazine (Issue 2).
- Plus Plan
Components of Poetry PowerPoint
An editable PowerPoint to use when teaching the essential components of poetry.
- Plus Plan
Everyday Grammar Parts of Speech Warm Ups - Upper Years Interactive PowerPoint
Learn and consolidate noun groups, adjectival phrases, adverbial phrases and more with this 44-slide interactive PowerPoint.
- Plus Plan
Discussion Text Type Poster With Annotations
A poster about discussions, including an annotated example.
- Plus Plan
Compare and Contrast - Comprehension Task
A task to use when teaching your students reading comprehension strategies.
- 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
Comprehension Worksheets - The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Read to learn about the Great Pacific Garbage patch with a printable reading comprehension worksheet pack.