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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Oral Presentation Assessment Rubric
A rubric designed to help teachers to assess students' oral presentations.
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Readers' Theatre Script - Triple Trouble
A script which can be used during readers' theatre or Drama sessions, aimed at students 8 years and over.
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Readers' Theatre Script - Radio Talk
A script which can be used during readers' theatre or Drama sessions, aimed at students 8 years and over.
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Roll-a-Poem Dice Game
Get your students to write fun event-themed poems with this engaging 'Roll-a-Poem' dice game.
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Writing Persuasive Texts PowerPoint - Year 5 and Year 6
Explore the structure and language features of persuasive texts with these teaching slides.
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Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences Sort
Practise reading and identifying simple, compound and complex sentences with this sorting activity.
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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.
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PEEL Paragraph Structure Poster and Worksheets
Explore the acronym PEEL to help with paragraph technique during persuasive writing lessons.
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Identifying Informative Language Worksheets
Explore the types of language found in informative writing using this set of three information reports on a variety of age-appropriate topics.
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Identifying Descriptive Language Worksheets - Nouns, Adjectives, Verbs and Adverbs
A set of 5 worksheets to help your students identify descriptive language in narrative texts.
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Editing and Revising Checklist Pack
Download this editing and revising checklist pack to support your students when revising and editing their written work.
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Australian Conservationists: The Irwins – Comprehension Worksheet
Learn about the Irwin family and their conservation work with this 2-page reading passage and accompanying comprehension questions.
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Writing a Simile Poem - Worksheet
Experiment with similes by writing a simile poem about a special person.
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Persuasive Topic Cards - Upper Grades
A set of persuasive topic cards for upper primary.
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Readers' Theatre Script - Muddy Footprint Mystery
A script which can be used during readers' theatre or Drama sessions, aimed at students 10 years and over.
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NAPLAN-Style Assessment Rubric - Informative Writing
A NAPLAN-style rubric designed to help teachers to assess students' informative writing.
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Year 6 Grammar Review Task Cards
Download these Year 6 grammar review task cards perfect for literacy rotations.
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Recount Writing Planning Template
A template for students to use when planning a recount.
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Write a Diamante Poem Worksheet
Set your students up for success when writing a diamante poem with this set of scaffolded, easy-to-follow worksheets.
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Readers' Theatre Script - Solar Force Five
A script which can be used during readers' theatre or Drama sessions, aimed at students 8 years and over.
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Editing and Revising Anchor Chart
Use this editing and revising anchor chart to remind your students of the steps involved in revising and editing their writing.
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Writing Editing Checklist
Get your students using this editing checklist so that no mistake gets left behind!
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Great White Shark Information Report – Writing Project
Get your students writing a great white shark information report using this age-appropriate fact file and writing scaffold.
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Language in Persuasive Writing Anchor Chart
Introduce students to the language associated with persuasive writing with a printable persuasive writing anchor chart.
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Information Report Text Type Poster With Annotations
Display this information report with annotations to help students identify the structure of this type of text.
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Year 6 Reading Fluency Passages
Assess student fluency with a printable pack of reading fluency passages for Year 6.
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Analysing Persuasive Devices Worksheets
Get students analysing persuasive techniques and their effects on audiences with this set of three texts with accompanying questions.
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What Causes the Seasons? Explanation Text Writing Task
Use this scaffolded writing task to have students write about how seasons change.
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Comprehension - Should Smart Phones Be Allowed in Classrooms?
Decide if cellphones should be allowed in class and boost comprehension skills with a reading passage and comprehension test.
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Simile and Metaphor Self-Portrait Worksheet
Teach students about similes and metaphors by asking them to describe... themselves!
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Prefix, Suffix and Root Words Word Search
Identify terminology related to prefixes, suffixes and root words in this word search.
- Free Plan
Morphology Match-Up
Consolidate your morphology lessons by ensuring students understand word parts terminology and the meanings of different word parts.