Year 6 plan — Australian Curriculum: English

Implementation year: School name:

Year level description 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
(highlighted aspects environments.
indicate differences from 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
the previous year level) 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
Identify curriculum

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.
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 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 understanding of grammar, make considered choices from an expanding vocabulary, use accurate spelling and punctuation for clarity and make and
explain editorial choices.
Source: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), Australian Curriculum v3.0: English for Foundation–10, <www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/Curriculum/F-10>.

Term overview Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4

Investigating interpersonal relationships Exemplar unit: Online news Looking at literature Informative texts
and ethical dilemmas in literature Students develop their understanding of how Students listen to, read, view, interpret and Students analyse how informative texts supply
Students describe complex sequences, a online multimodal texts inform and persuade evaluate contemporary spoken, written and technical and content information.
range of non-stereotypical characters, and audiences through choice of language, multimodal films, digital texts, junior and early Students identify informative text structures,
elaborated events, including flashbacks and structure and images. adolescent novels, dramatic performances and including chapters, headings and
shifts in time. Students analyse, discuss and create poetry, and compare them with texts from subheadings, tables of contents, indexes and
Students explore themes of interpersonal multimodal persuasive and informative texts, earlier times. glossaries, and language features including
Teaching and learning

relationships and ethical dilemmas within and contribute their texts to an online class complex sentences, unfamiliar technical
real-world or fantasy settings. news source. vocabulary and information presented in
Students analyse, discuss and create an graphics.
imaginative narrative. Students discuss how information is presented
in informative texts and create an analytical
explanation on a topic of interest.
Aboriginal and Torres English provides opportunities for students to strengthen their appreciation and understanding of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their living cultures. Specific content
Strait Islander perspectives and skills within relevant sections of the curriculum can be drawn upon to encourage engagement with:
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytelling traditions and contemporary literature
• Social, historical and cultural contexts associated with different uses of language and textual features in Australian Indigenous societies
• The diversity of Indigenous experiences and their representation in literature and other texts.
English articulates aspects of the languages, literatures and literacies of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It provides opportunities for students to develop an awareness,
appreciation of, and respect for the literature of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including storytelling traditions (oral narrative) as well as contemporary literature. Through
respectful engagement with Australian Indigenous peoples, and their knowledge and stories, students develop critical understandings of the social, historical and cultural contexts associated with
different uses of language and textual features.

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 General capabilities and Opportunities to engage with: Opportunities to engage with: Opportunities to engage with: Opportunities to engage with:
cross-curriculum priorities
Teaching and
learning

Key to general capabilities and

 Literacy    Numeracy    ICT capability    Critical and creative thinking    Ethical behaviour    Personal and social capability    Intercultural understanding
cross-curriculum priorities
 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures    Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia    Sustainability

Assessment A folio is a targeted selection of evidence of student learning and includes a range of responses to a variety of assessment techniques. A folio is used to make an overall on-balance judgment
For advice and guidelines on about student achievement and progress at appropriate points and informs the reporting process.
assessment, see
Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4
www.qsa.qld.edu.au
Week Assessment instrument Week Assessment instrument Week Assessment instrument Week Assessment instrument
3–5 Informative: Discussion 2–5 Informative: Discussion 5 Informative: Review (Spoken/signed) 4 Informative: Discussion
(Spoken/signed) (Spoken/signed) Present an analytical review of one (Spoken/signed)
Participate in a discussion to Participate in a discussion with a contemporary text and one from Participate in a discussion to explain
analyse the features of an partner to analyse the persuasive another time or culture. how informative texts supply
Develop assessment

imaginative narrative, including its language features and devices in a technical and content information.
themes and dilemmas. media text.
6–7 Imaginative: Narrative (Written) 6–7 Persuasive and informative: Article 6–7 Imaginative: Performance 6–7 Informative: Report (Written)
Create a short imaginative narrative (Multimodal) (Multimodal) Create an informative report using
that explores an ethical dilemma Create two media texts (an Present an imaginative dramatic text structures and language
between two characters, set in the informative article and a persuasive performance focusing on one features to analyse and explain a
real world or a fantasy world. article) to contribute to an online important event in a narrative. topic of interest.
class news source.
The following assessment packages QCATs: Identify the curriculum targeted by the QCAT and schedule its implementation
in the QSA Assessment Bank could appropriate to the sequence of learning.
be used as assessment in this unit:
• Making the headlines
• News, news, news
• Letters to the editor.
Moderation Teachers co-mark imaginative narratives to Curriculum leaders randomly sample folios to Teachers moderate the QCATs to identify A–E Year 6 teachers participate in cluster
Make judgments and

ensure consistency of judgments. check for consistency of teacher judgments. samples to take to cluster moderation in moderation of the QCATs.
use feedback

Term 4. School cluster moderates data collected using

the QCATs to ensure comparability of
standards across the state.

2 | Year 6 plan Australian Curriculum: English

Year 6 English: review for balance and coverage of content descriptions

Language 1 2 3 4 Literature 1 2 3 4 Literacy 1 2 3 4

Language variation and change Literature and context Texts in context
Understand that different social and    Make connections between students’ own    Compare texts including media texts that  
geographical dialects or accents are used in experiences and those of characters and events represent ideas and events in different ways,
Australia in addition to Standard Australian represented in texts drawn from different explaining the effects of the different approaches
English (ACELA1515) historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELY1708)
Language for interaction (ACELT1613) Interacting with others
Responding to literature Participate in and contribute to discussions,    
Understand that strategies for interaction  
become more complex and demanding as Analyse and evaluate similarities and differences   clarifying and interrogating ideas, developing and
levels of formality and social distance in texts on similar topics, themes or plots supporting arguments, sharing and evaluating
increase (ACELA1516) (ACELT1614) information, experiences and opinions
(ACELY1709)
Understand the uses of objective and  Identify and explain how choices in language, for   
subjective language and bias (ACELA1517) example modality, emphasis, repetition and Use interaction skills, varying conventions of  
metaphor, influence personal response to spoken interactions such as voice volume, tone,
Text structure and organisation
different texts (ACELT1615) pitch and pace, according to group size, formality
Understand how authors often innovate on    of interaction and needs and expertise of the
text structures and play with language Examining literature
audience (ACELY1816)
features to achieve particular aesthetic, Identify, describe, and discuss similarities and  
humorous and persuasive purposes and differences between texts, including those by the
Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations,  
selecting and sequencing appropriate content
effects (ACELA1518) same author or illustrator, and evaluate
and multimodal elements for defined audiences
characteristics that define an author’s individual
Understand that cohesive links can be made   and purposes, making appropriate choices for
in texts by omitting or replacing words style (ACELT1616)
modality and emphasis (ACELY1710)
(ACELA1520) Identify the relationship between words, sounds,   Interpreting, analysing, evaluating
imagery and language patterns in narratives and
Understand the uses of commas to separate   
clauses (ACELA1521) poetry such as ballads, limericks and free verse Analyse how text structures and language    
(ACELT1617) features work together to meet the purpose of a
Expressing and developing ideas text (ACELY1711)
Creating literature
Investigate how complex sentences can be   Select, navigate and read texts for a range of  
used in a variety of ways to elaborate, Create literary texts that adapt or combine    purposes, applying appropriate text processing
extend and explain ideas (ACELA1522) aspects of texts students have experienced in
strategies and interpreting structural features, for
innovative ways (ACELT1618)
Understand how ideas can be expanded    example table of contents, glossary, chapters,
and sharpened through careful choice of Experiment with text structures and language    headings and subheadings (ACELY1712)
verbs, elaborated tenses and a range of features and their effects in creating literary
texts, for example, using imagery, sentence
Use comprehension strategies to interpret and    
adverb groups/phrases (ACELA1523) analyse information and ideas, comparing
variation, metaphor and word choice
Identify and explain how analytical images   content from a variety of textual sources
(ACELT1800)
like figures, tables, diagrams, maps and including media and digital texts (ACELY1713)
graphs contribute to our understanding of Analyse strategies authors use to influence    
verbal information in factual and persuasive readers (ACELY1801)
texts (ACELA1524)
Creating texts
Investigate how vocabulary choices,    
including evaluative language can express
Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative    
and persuasive texts, choosing and
shades of meaning, feeling and opinion
experimenting with text structures, language
(ACELA1525)
features, images and digital resources
Understand how to use banks of known   appropriate to purpose and audience
words, word origins, base words, suffixes (ACELY1714)
and prefixes, morphemes, spelling patterns
and generalisations to learn and spell new
Reread and edit students’ own and others’ work   
using agreed criteria and explaining editing
words, for example technical words and
choices (ACELY1715)
words adopted from other languages
(ACELA1526) Develop a handwriting style that is legible, fluent  
and automatic and varies according to audience
and purpose (ACELY1716)
Use a range of software, including word    
processing programs, learning new functions as
required to create texts (ACELY1717)
Source: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), Australian Curriculum v3.0: English for Foundation–10, <www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/Curriculum/F-10>.

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