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)
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Cohesive Devices Teaching Slides
Explore cohesive devices with this engaging teaching slide deck designed to help primary students understand and use them confidently in their writing.
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How to Identify Bias Teaching Slides
Teach your students how to identify bias in writing with this engaging slide deck, designed to help upper primary students develop critical reading skills.
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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.
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Bias in Writing Worksheet Pack
Teach bias in writing with ease using this engaging worksheet pack designed to help upper primary students recognise and analyse bias across different texts.
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Using Context Clues Worksheet
Try a ‘Using Context Clues’ Worksheet to help your students determine the meaning of unfamiliar words based on the surrounding text.
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Free Click or Clunk Worksheet
Support students in monitoring their reading comprehension with this Click and Clunk Reading Strategy Recording Sheet!
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Digital Comma Activities - Interactive Slide Deck
Engage your upper primary school students with Digital Comma Activities to help them practise using different comma rules.
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Using Context Clues to Determine Word Meaning Worksheet
Practise defining unfamiliar words by looking for context clues within a sentence.
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Finding Word Meaning In Text - Context Clues Activity Sheet
Use context clues to determine word meaning in text with a printable Context Clues Activity Sheet.
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Monitoring Comprehension Symbols Worksheet
A 2 page worksheet focusing on the reading comprehension strategy of monitoring.
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Comprehension Monitoring Strategies PowerPoint
Use this Comprehension Monitoring Strategies PowerPoint to guide students through the learning of self monitoring while reading.
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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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Olympic Host City Bid – Speechwriting Project
Explore the advantages and disadvantages of being the host city for the Olympics in this inquiry and speechwriting task.
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Australian Conservationists: Ian Kiernan – Comprehension Worksheet
Learn about Ian Kiernan and his conservation work with this 2-page reading passage and accompanying comprehension questions.
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Australian Conservationists: Tim Flannery – Comprehension Worksheet
Learn about Tim Flannery and his conservation work with this 2-page reading passage and accompanying comprehension questions.
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Foldable Inferencing Template
Practise making inferences with this foldable template.
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Comprehension – History of Flight Reading Worksheets
Read and learn about innovations in aviation with a printable reading comprehension activity.
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Debating and Scrutinising Bills - Comprehension Worksheets
Explore how bills are debated and scrutinised in the Australian Federal Parliament with this differentiated reading comprehension activity.
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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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Inspirational Authors – Speechwriting Project
Get you students to research and celebrate an inspirational author with this speechwriting activity.
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Prefixes Vocabulary Word Game
Practise matching words to their common prefixes with an exciting Four in a Row Vocabulary Game.
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Common Prefixes - Domino Game
Identify new words that include common prefixes with 28 prefixes and root word dominoes.
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Which Suffix is it? - Task Cards
Practise using suffixes in sentences with a set of printable suffix task cards.
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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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Roll and Find – Figurative Language Worksheet
Explore, identify and interpret figurative language with this engaging roll and find activity.
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Liquid Ice – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a fake advertisement from the Year 5 magazine (Issue 3).
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The Aether – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a narrative from the Year 5 magazine (Issue 3).
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Letter to the Editor (Voting Rights) – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a letter to the editor from the Year 6 magazine (Issue 3).
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Frida's Fiesta: Layout Confusion – Projects
A project where students apply their measurement and fraction knowledge to determine where furniture goes in a restaurant.
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Healthy Mind, Healthy Body: The Value of Vegetables – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a comic from the Year 5 magazine (Issue 2).
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Main Clauses and Subordinate Clauses Poster
A poster explaining main clauses and subordinate clauses.
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Human Histories: Amazing Artists – Comprehension Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a magazine article about some amazing artists.