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English Version 2.0

  1. Introduction
  2. Curriculum
  1. F
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10

Level 1

Level 1 Description

The English curriculum is organised under 3 interrelated strands: Language, Literature and Literacy. While each strand articulates the essential skills of English, they should be seen as interlinked and interconnected. Together, the 3 strands focus on developing students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, speaking, reading, viewing and writing...

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Level 1 Content Descriptions

Language

Language for interacting with others
  1. explore how language, facial expressions and gestures are used to interact with others when asking for and providing information, making offers, exclaiming, requesting and giving commands (VC2E1LA01)
    1. recognising the effects of words, signing, gestures and body language on the way that communications are received by others
    2. understanding that symbols, gestures and body language are key components of communication in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
    3. viewing short films and discussing how characters use words and body language to convey emotions
    4. learning the difference between closed questions (for example, ‘Are you ready?’) and open questions (for example, ‘What made this text so exciting?’)
  2. explore language to provide reasons for likes, dislikes and preferences (VC2E1LA02)
    1. using words such as ‘because’ to introduce reasons for likes, dislikes and preferences
    2. exploring comparative words (adjectives) to express the degree of preference, for example ‘better’ and ‘faster’
Text structure and organisation
  1. explore how types of texts are organised according to their purpose, such as to recount, narrate, express opinion, inform, report and explain (VC2E1LA03)
    1. discussing and comparing the purposes and organisation of familiar texts
    2. becoming familiar with the typical stages of types of texts, for example recount and procedure
    3. recognising that the structure of a text may include words and pictures; for example, an informative text may include words, illustrations and diagrams
  2. explore how repetition, rhyme and rhythm create cohesion in simple poems, chants and songs (VC2E1LA04)
    1. identifying patterns of repetition in texts, for example repetition of sentence patterns such as ‘Have you seen …’
    2. discussing different poems and identifying rhyme, for example end-of-line rhyme
  3. understand how concepts about print in printed and digital texts are organised using features such as page numbers, tables of contents, headings and titles, navigation buttons, swipe screens, verbal commands, links and images (VC2E1LA05)
    1. comparing the layout of printed and digital texts, for example the layout of print and images in an information book and the layout of information in an online text
Language for expressing and developing ideas
  1. understand that a simple sentence consists of a single independent clause representing a single event or idea (VC2E1LA06)
    1. knowing that a single event or idea can include a process, a happening or a state (verb), the participant or who or what is involved (noun group/phrase), and the surrounding circumstances (adverb group/phrase), for example ‘Teddy (the participant: who or what is involved) reads (a process, a happening or a state) the book (surrounding circumstances).’
    2. understanding that simple sentences answer questions such as ‘What is happening?’ and ‘Who or what is involved?’ along with details such as ‘Where?’, ‘When?’ and ‘How?’
  2. understand that words can represent people, places and things (nouns, including pronouns), happenings and states (verbs), qualities (adjectives), relationships in time and space (prepositions) and details such as when, where and how (adverbs) (VC2E1LA07)
    1. understanding that words or groups of words can represent the participants (nouns; for example people, places or things) that are involved in various activities or processes (verbs of doing, saying, thinking and being) and the details or circumstances surrounding the activity (adjectives and adverbs that answer ‘When?’, ‘Where?’ and ‘How?’)
    2. recognising how a sentence can be made more specific by adding adjectives, adverbs and precise verbs
  3. compare how images and sound in different types of texts contribute to meaning (VC2E1LA08)
    1. comparing images from texts where images of the same subject are represented differently, for example a cartoon image of an animal, a photograph of an animal, a painting of an animal and a digital image of an animal in an advertisement
    2. understanding how authors and illustrators build up meaning across a sequence of images
    3. understanding that some images convey meaning that is not included in the accompanying written text; for example, a diagram shows information about how parts of a plant are connected, which is not explained in the written text
  4. recognise and understand vocabulary across the curriculum, such as topic-specific vocabulary in other learning areas (VC2E1LA09)
    1. using appropriate topic-specific vocabulary when discussing a learning area topic
    2. using appropriate vocabulary for an Acknowledgement of Country at assemblies and other school events using protocols to recognise the Traditional Owners of Country
    3. identifying words for topics studied at school, for example vocabulary used for weather and seasons
  5. understand that written language uses punctuation such as full stops, question marks and exclamation marks, and uses capital letters for proper nouns (VC2E1LA10)
    1. using intonation and pauses in response to punctuation, when reading
    2. identifying different sentence boundary punctuation, when reading
    3. writing different types of sentences (for example, statements and questions) and discussing appropriate punctuation
    4. identifying and using capital letters to name places and cultural festivals and holidays

Literature

Literature and contexts
  1. discuss how language and images are used to create characters, settings and events in literary texts by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors and illustrators and a wide range of Australian and world authors and illustrators (VC2E1LE01)
    1. discussing how animal characters reflect human characteristics, for example discussing the creation of animal characters and their human qualities in fables by a wide range of world authors
    2. discussing how characters, settings and events are described or depicted in literature by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors and illustrators
    3. discussing the events associated with Australian animal characters and what is learnt about their characters in picture books from a wide range of Australian authors
Engaging with and responding to literature
  1. discuss a range of literary texts and share responses by making connections with their own experiences (VC2E1LE02)
    1. generating questions about characters, settings and events from books and sharing responses
    2. discussing a range of texts and offering opinions about how they reflect their own experiences
    3. expressing responses to characters and events in stories using drawing and role-play
    4. identifying who is telling the story in a range of texts
Examining literature
  1. discuss plots, characters and settings through a range of literary texts (VC2E1LE03)
    1. recognising similar characters and settings in a range of literary texts, for example traditional tales, narrative poems and fables
    2. discussing whether features of settings, including time (year, season) and place (country or city), are realistic or imagined
    3. discussing how plots develop, including beginnings (orientation), how the problem (complication) is introduced and how it is solved (resolution)
  2. listen to, recite and discuss poems, chants, rhymes and songs, and imitate and invent sound patterns including alliteration and rhyme (VC2E1LE04)
    1. listening to performance poetry, chants or songs from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
    2. exploring poetry, chants and songs from Asian cultures
    3. listening to haiku poems about familiar topics such as nature and the seasons
Creating literature
  1. retell or adapt a range of previously encountered literary texts using plot and characters, structure, language features and vocabulary, through role-play, writing and drawing (VC2E1LE05)
    1. writing or sharing character descriptions
    2. imitating a characteristic piece of speech or dialogue, or the attitudes or expressions of favourite characters in texts
    3. retelling key events in stories using oral language, visual arts, digital tools or performance

Literacy

Interacting with others
  1. use interaction skills including turn-taking, speaking clearly, using active listening behaviours and responding to the read or spoken contributions of others, and contributing ideas and questions (VC2E1LY01)
    1. using turn-taking in group and pair work
    2. building a conversation by staying on topic, supporting other speakers, eliciting responses, listening supportively and attentively, asking relevant questions, providing useful feedback and prompting
    3. participating in informal and structured class, group and pair discussions about content area topics, ideas and information
    4. interacting appropriately with peers, teachers and visitors
    5. formulating different types of questions to ask a speaker or someone reading aloud, such as open and closed questions and ‘when’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions
  2. deliver short spoken texts to an audience using features of voice (VC2E1LY02)
    1. reporting the results of group activities
    2. explaining how to do or make something
    3. giving short oral presentations about areas of interest or content area topics, speaking clearly and with appropriate volume, and using content-specific vocabulary
    4. experimenting with volume and pace for particular purposes; for example, presenting information, retelling stories and reciting rhymes and poems
    5. giving reasons why the class should learn a particular game
Phonic and word knowledge
  1. blend, segment and manipulate phonemes in words (phonemic awareness), including words with consonant blends at the beginning and end, and words with more than one syllable (VC2E1LY03)
    1. making sounds in order to say a given spoken word, for example ‘s-p-oo-n’ and ‘f-i-s-t’
    2. manipulating phonemes in spoken words by addition, deletion and substitution of initial, medial and final phonemes to generate new words (phonological awareness)
    3. adding, substituting or deleting phonemes in any position in one-syllable words with up to 4 phonemes
    4. substituting medial sounds in spoken words to make new words, for example ‘pin’, ‘pen’, ‘pan’
    5. substituting final sounds in spoken words; for example, substituting the ‘t’ in ‘pet’ with ‘g’ to form a new word, ‘peg’
  2. use knowledge of short vowels, common long vowels, consonant blends and digraphs to read and write one- and 2-syllable words (VC2E1LY04)
    1. using knowledge of letters and sounds to write words with short vowels (for example, ‘man’) and with common long vowel sounds (for example, ‘time’)
    2. using knowledge of letter sounds to write one-syllable words with consonant digraphs and consonant blends, for example ‘wish’ and ‘rest’
  3. understand that a letter can represent more than one sound and that a syllable must contain a vowel sound (VC2E1LY05)
    1. recognising that letters can have more than one sound, for example the letter ‘u’ in ‘cut’, ‘put’ and ‘use’ and the letter ‘a’ in ‘cat’, ‘father’ and ‘any’
    2. recognising sounds that can be produced by different letters, for example the ‘s’ sound in ‘sat’ and ‘cent’
  4. spell one- and 2-syllable words with common letter patterns (VC2E1LY06)
    1. writing one- and 2-syllable words containing known blends, for example ‘bl’ and ‘st’
  5. read and write an increasing number of high-frequency words (VC2E1LY07)
    1. learning an increasing number of high-frequency words and reading them independently, for example ‘one’, ‘have’ and ‘pretty’
  6. recognise and know how to use grammatical morphemes to create word families (VC2E1LY08)
    1. building word families from common morphemes, for example ‘play’, ‘plays’, ‘playing’, ‘played’ and ‘playground’
    2. using morphemes to read words; for example, by recognising the base word in words such as ‘walk-ed’
Building fluency and making meaning
  1. read decodable and authentic texts using developing phonic knowledge, phrasing and fluency, and make and monitor meaning using context and grammatical knowledge (VC2E1LY09)
    1. recognising most high-frequency words when reading a text
    2. self-correcting or asking for assistance when meaning breaks down
Texts in context
  1. discuss different types of texts drawn from a range of cultures and experiences (VC2E1LY10)
    1. discussing different types of texts encountered in school and in the community, and identifying their purposes
    2. recognising that types of texts with similar purposes usually have predictable structures
Analysing, interpreting and evaluating
  1. describe some similarities and differences between narrative, informative and persuasive texts (VC2E1LY11)
    1. comparing and discussing different types of texts, identifying some features that distinguish those that ‘tell stories’ from those that ‘give opinions’
    2. selecting text types for a particular purpose or task, for example a website that will give information about a learning area topic, or a book that will tell a story about an animal
  2. use comprehension strategies, such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising and questioning, and draw on learnt vocabulary and growing knowledge of context and text structures to build literal and inferred meanings (VC2E1LY12)
    1. identifying information and details from spoken informative texts
    2. building topic knowledge and learning new vocabulary before and during reading
    3. making predictions from the cover, from illustrations and at points in the text before reading on, and confirming and adjusting understanding after reading
    4. drawing inferences and explaining inferences using clues from the text
    5. making connections with existing knowledge and personal experiences
Creating texts
  1. create short narrative and informative texts, written and spoken, on personal and learnt topics, including using some topic-specific vocabulary, appropriate multimodal elements, and a structure with an opening, middle and conclusion (VC2E1LY13)
    1. applying emerging knowledge of text structure and grammar when creating text
    2. using learning area vocabulary when creating text
    3. creating digital images and composing a story or information sequence on-screen using images and captions
  2. re-read their own texts and discuss possible changes to improve meaning, spelling and punctuation (VC2E1LY14)
    1. adding or deleting words on a page or screen to improve meaning; for example, adding an adjective to add meaning to a noun
    2. beginning to use dictionaries and resources to check and correct spelling
    3. identifying words that might not be spelt correctly
  3. write words using unjoined lower-case and upper-case letters (VC2E1LY15)
    1. continuing to develop a functional pencil grip/grasp

Level 1 Achievement Standard

By the end of Level 1, students demonstrate the following skills in English.

Speaking and Listening

When interacting with others, students understand the vocabulary of curriculum area topics and use language, facial expressions and gestures when requesting, exclaiming and commanding. They use turn-taking skills....

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Level 2

Level 2 Description

The English curriculum is organised under 3 interrelated strands: Language, Literature and Literacy. While each strand articulates the essential skills of English, they should be seen as interlinked and interconnected. Together, the 3 strands focus on developing students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, speaking, reading, viewing and writing. The English curriculum is underpinned by the selection of texts appropriate for the level...

Show more

Level 2 Content Descriptions

Language

Language for interacting with others
  1. explore how interpersonal language choices vary depending on the context, including the different roles taken on in interactions (VC2E2LA01)
    1. exploring culturally specific greetings and expressions of politeness
    2. exploring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural protocols in Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country, and the greeting words used by Victorian Aboriginal Peoples
    3. exploring how familiarity with a group or individual influences language choices
  2. explore how language can be used for appreciating texts and providing reasons for preferences (VC2E2LA02)
    1. exploring how language is used to appreciate texts using more precise vocabulary, for example ‘I liked how the author described the setting because …’
    2. exploring verbs used to express degree of preference, for example ‘liked’, ‘preferred’ and ‘enjoyed’
Text structure and organisation
  1. identify how different types of texts across the curriculum are organised differently and use language features depending on purposes (VC2E2LA03)
    1. identifying the typical features of a text, for example a typical introduction to a narrative or the use of dot points in instructions
    2. identifying that different types of texts might have different forms; for example, an expression of opinion might be in the form of a poster, email or brochure
    3. identifying the organisation and language features in texts such as narratives, recounts, information reports, simple procedures, expression of opinion and responses to texts (including poetry), and discussing their purposes
  2. understand how texts are made cohesive by using personal and possessive pronouns and by omitting words that can be inferred (VC2E2LA04)
    1. identifying language used to build information across a text, for example by connecting similar and dissimilar things
    2. mapping examples of word associations in texts, for example words that refer to the main character in a story, such as ‘Isy’, ‘she’, ‘I’, ‘sister’, ‘student’
    3. tracking how a person or thing is identified through a section of a text, for example ‘eggs’, ‘they’, ‘them’
    4. identifying words left out that can be inferred from the surrounding text; for example, in ‘Xanthe went to school. She had a lovely day’, ‘at school’ is inferred
    5. using personal and possessive pronouns to link entities previously mentioned in the text
  3. navigate print and digital texts using chapters, tables of contents, indexes, sidebar menus, drop-down menus or links (VC2E2LA05)
    1. recognising how numbered chapters, organisation of tables of contents and alphabetical order of indexes operate to support access to information
    2. exploring how the navigation tools of different websites can be used to locate information
Language for expressing and developing ideas
  1. understand that connections can be made between ideas by using a compound sentence with 2 or more independent clauses usually linked by a coordinating conjunction (VC2E2LA06)
    1. using coordinating conjunctions (for example, ‘and’, ‘but’ and ‘so’) to construct compound sentences (for example, ‘The wolf huffed / and he puffed / and he blew the house down!’)
  2. understand that in sentences, nouns may be extended into noun groups using articles and adjectives, and verbs may be expressed as verb groups (VC2E2LA07)
    1. identifying nouns that refer to people, places, concrete objects and ideas in sentences, and identifying the articles and adjectives that extend those nouns
    2. building extended noun groups using articles and adjectives, for example ‘the longest side’
    3. building extended verb groups using verbs, for example ‘gently touched’
    4. investigating how noun groups can be built up by asking questions about the noun such as ‘How many?’, ‘What’s it like?’ and ‘What type?’, for example ‘two pairs of old walking shoes’
  3. understand that images and sound add to or multiply the meanings of a text (VC2E2LA08)
    1. identifying images and graphics in a text that add ideas or information not included in the written text, for example a map or table in a factual text or an illustration in a story that gives clues about the setting
    2. identifying visual representations of characters’ actions, reactions, speech and thought processes in narratives, and considering how these images add to or multiply the meaning of accompanying words
  4. apply learnt vocabulary and begin to make conscious choices to suit the topic (VC2E2LA09)
    1. selecting vocabulary appropriate to the topic to replace everyday language
    2. discussing new vocabulary encountered in learning area texts
    3. exploring language used to describe characters in narratives, including nouns (for example, ‘magician’, ‘wizard’ or ‘sorcerer’) and adjectives (for example, ‘gentle’, ‘timid’ or ‘frightened’)
    4. identifying words from Victorian Aboriginal languages relevant to a topic
  5. recognise that capital letters are used in titles and commas are used to separate items in lists (VC2E2LA10)
    1. identifying how capital letters are used in the titles of texts
    2. identifying commas used in lists in a variety of types of texts, for example ‘This class has students who speak Vietnamese, Thai and Arabic at home.’

Literature

Literature and contexts
  1. discuss how characters and settings are connected in literary texts created by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors and illustrators and a wide range of Australian and world authors and illustrators (VC2E2LE01)
    1. recognising recurring characters in particular settings in texts by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors
    2. exploring the way that a wide range of Australian authors and illustrators depict the Australian outback and the associated characters
    3. discussing the depiction of characters in particular settings in well-known fairytales from a wide range of world authors, for example children in forests, and royalty in castles and towers
Engaging with and responding to literature
  1. compare features of a range of literary texts, such as characters and settings, and share personal preferences (VC2E2LE02)
    1. discussing preferences for stories set in familiar or unfamiliar worlds, or about characters whose lives are like or unlike their own
    2. discussing their feelings about the positive and negative behaviours of non-human characters, such as animals
Examining literature
  1. discuss the plots, characters and settings of a range of literary texts and identify how language is used to present these features in different ways (VC2E2LE03)
    1. comparing how similar characters or settings are described in texts from different contexts, for example how the seasons are described
    2. identifying and comparing verb groups used to convey actions, emotions and dialogue in a range of literary texts
    3. identifying the language used to describe the landscape in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories
  2. identify, reproduce and experiment with rhythmic sound and word patterns in poems, chants, rhymes and songs (VC2E2LE04)
    1. exploring poems, chants, rhymes or songs from different home languages of class members
Creating literature
  1. create texts by adapting structures and language features of previously encountered literary texts through writing, drawing and performance (VC2E2LE05)
    1. inventing some speech, dialogue or behaviour for a favourite character, which may include the use of video and audio tools, for an alternative event or outcome to the one in the original text

Literacy

Interacting with others
  1. use interaction skills when engaging with topics and texts, actively listening to others, receiving instructions and extending their own ideas, speaking appropriately, expressing and responding to opinions, making statements, and giving instructions (VC2E2LY01)
    1. exploring ways to comment on what others say, including using sentence starters such as ‘I like the way you …’, ‘I agree that …’, ‘I have a different thought …’, and ‘I’d like to say something different …’
    2. demonstrating appropriate listening behaviours, responding to and paraphrasing a partner’s contribution to a discussion, for example in think-pair-share activities
    3. asking relevant questions and making connections with personal experiences and the contributions of others
    4. understanding how to disagree or respectfully offer an alternative
  2. deliver short spoken texts to an audience using features of voice (VC2E2LY02)
    1. preparing and delivering oral presentations using more formal language and specific vocabulary about content area topics
    2. adjusting volume and tone when speaking in more formal situations
Phonic and word knowledge
  1. use knowledge of blending, segmenting and manipulating to read and write increasingly complex words (phonemic awareness) (VC2E2LY03)
    1. blending and segmenting sounds in words, for example ‘b-r-o-th-er’ or ‘c-l-ou-d-y’
    2. deleting and substituting sounds (phonemes) in spoken words to form new words (for example, deleting the initial ‘scr’ in ‘scratch’ and substituting new initial sounds to form words such as ‘catch’, ‘batch’ and ‘hatch’) and substituting a medial sound to form a new word (for example, ‘stack’ becomes ‘stick’)
  2. use phoneme–grapheme correspondence knowledge to read and write words of one or more syllables with vowel digraphs, less common long vowel patterns, consonant blends and silent letters (phonic knowledge) (VC2E2LY04)
    1. reading words with digraphs where one letter is not pronounced (for example, ‘knife’ and ‘thumb’) and using them in writing
    2. providing the sounds for less common sound–letter matches (for example, ‘ight’) and using them in writing
    3. reading words with vowel digraphs (‘ee’, ‘oo’, ‘ai’, ‘ay’ and ‘ea’)
  3. use knowledge of spelling patterns and morphemes to read and write words whose spelling is not completely predictable from their sounds, including high-frequency words (VC2E2LY05)
    1. using known words and knowledge of spelling patterns and morphemes to write unknown words, for example ‘one’, ‘once’, ‘only’ and ‘lone’
    2. using context to read the correct word when an unknown word has more than one plausible pronunciation
  4. build morphemic word families using knowledge of prefixes and suffixes (VC2E2LY06)
    1. using morphemic knowledge of words to spell unknown words, for example ‘one’, ‘once’, ‘cover’, ‘covering’ and ‘uncover’
    2. writing unknown words using morphemic knowledge; for example, using the known word ‘friend’ to write ‘friendly’ and ‘friendship’
Building fluency and making meaning
  1. read different types of texts with phrasing and fluency, using phonic and word knowledge, and make and monitor meaning by re-reading and self-correcting (VC2E2LY07)
    1. using phonic (sound–letter) and morphemic knowledge, and knowledge of high-frequency words when decoding text
    2. monitoring their own reading, self-correcting or reading back, and re-reading when meaning does not make sense
Texts in context
  1. discuss how similar topics and information are presented in different types of texts (VC2E2LY08)
    1. reading a poem, narrative and informative text about life cycles and discussing what is learnt
    2. exploring recipes presented on food packets, in recipe books, in short video clips and in a digital form, noting their shared purpose
Analysing, interpreting and evaluating
  1. identify the purpose and audience of different types of texts (VC2E2LY09)
    1. identifying the audience of advertisements and signs
  2. use comprehension strategies, such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising, monitoring and questioning, and begin to analyse texts by drawing on a growing knowledge of context and text structures to build literal and inferred meanings (VC2E2LY10)
    1. listening for specific information and providing key facts or points from an informative or persuasive text
    2. listening and responding to detailed instructions
    3. integrating information from print, images and prior knowledge to make supportable inferences
    4. identifying the main idea of a text
    5. predicting vocabulary that is likely to be in a text, based on the topic and the purpose of the text; for example, predicting that ‘station’ and ‘arrive’ would be in a text recounting a train journey
    6. using prior knowledge to make and confirm predictions when reading a text
    7. using graphic organisers to represent the connections between characters, order of events or sequence of information
Creating texts
  1. create short narrative, informative and persuasive texts for familiar audiences using simple text structures, topic-specific vocabulary and multimodal elements as appropriate (VC2E2LY11)
    1. creating texts so that readers and/or audiences follow the sequence of ideas or events, using vocabulary (including topic-specific vocabulary) appropriate for the purpose
    2. using digital tools to create texts
    3. using simple and compound sentences correctly and flexibly to express and combine ideas
  2. re-read and edit texts for spelling, sentence boundary punctuation and text structure (VC2E2LY12)
    1. reviewing and developing sentences; for example, adding prepositional phrases such as ‘with a long tail’ to improve descriptions
    2. editing by adding, deleting or changing vocabulary to improve a text; for example, replacing an everyday noun with a topic-specific one
    3. reviewing sentences for grammatical accuracy, for example use of pronouns
  3. write words legibly and with growing fluency using unjoined lower-case and upper-case letters (VC2E2LY13)
    1. consolidating a functional pencil grip/grasp

Level 2 Achievement Standard

By the end of Level 2, students demonstrate the following skills in English.

Speaking and Listening

When interacting with others, students apply learnt vocabulary and vary language choices depending on context, actively listen to others, and extend their own ideas....

Show more

Level 3

Level 3 Description

The English curriculum is organised under 3 interrelated strands: Language, Literature and Literacy. While each strand articulates the essential skills of English, they should be seen as interlinked and interconnected. Together, the 3 strands focus on developing students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, speaking, reading, viewing and writing. The English curriculum is underpinned by the selection of texts appropriate for the level...

Show more

Level 3 Content Descriptions

Language

Language for interacting with others
  1. understand that cooperation with others depends on shared understanding of social conventions, including turn-taking language, which vary according to the degree of formality (VC2E3LA01)
    1. recognising and using collaborative language in group and pair work; for example, initiating a topic, changing a topic through negotiation, affirming other speakers and building on their comments, asking relevant questions, providing useful feedback, prompting, and checking individual and group understanding
  2. understand how the language of evaluation and emotion can be varied to be more or less forceful (VC2E3LA02)
    1. recognising how choice of adverbs, nouns and verbs present different evaluations of characters in texts
    2. exploring examples of language that demonstrate a range of emotions and positions, and building a vocabulary to express judgements about characters or events, for example ‘The wizard was cunning, expert, inventive’
Text structure and organisation
  1. describe how different types of texts across the curriculum have different language features and structures depending on purposes (VC2E3LA03)
    1. identifying the stages of a basic argument such as introduction, argument 1, argument 2 and conclusion
    2. describing the typical text structure and language features of factual recounts, autobiographies, information reports, narratives, personal responses to literary texts (with reasons), sequential explanations, verse poetry and simple arguments, and describing their purposes
  2. understand that paragraphs are a key organisational feature of the stages of written texts, grouping related information together (VC2E3LA04)
    1. recognising that longer informative texts are organised into paragraphs, which begin with a topic sentence that predicts how the paragraph will develop and is then elaborated on in various ways
    2. recognising that paragraphs in narrative texts vary in length and do not always follow a predictable structure
    3. examining models of well-constructed paragraphs and identifying their features
  3. identify the purpose of layout features in print and digital texts and the words used for navigation (VC2E3LA05)
    1. examining the words used as hyperlinks
    2. discussing words used as headings and subheadings in digital and print information texts
    3. discussing words used for chapter headings in narratives
Language for expressing and developing ideas
  1. understand that a clause is a unit of grammar usually containing a subject and a verb that need to agree (VC2E3LA06)
    1. identifying clauses in texts by locating verbs and the key words that link to the verbs, for example ‘While the cat slept, the mouse scurried across the path.’
    2. identifying that a singular subject has a singular verb, and a plural subject has a plural verb, for example ‘The girl plays cricket.’ and ‘The girls play cricket.’
  2. understand how verbs represent different processes for doing, feeling, thinking, saying and relating (VC2E3LA07)
    1. exploring ‘doing’ and ‘saying’ verbs in narrative texts to understand how they give information about what characters do and say
    2. exploring the use of ‘sensing’ verbs and how they allow readers to understand what characters think and feel, for example ‘He remembered his first day at school.’
    3. exploring the use of ‘relating’ verbs in constructing definitions and descriptions; for example, identifying the relating verb ‘is’ or ‘are’, ‘has’ or ‘have’ in descriptions of animals
    4. identifying different types of verbs and the way that they control meaning in a clause
  3. understand that verbs are anchored in time through tense (VC2E3LA08)
    1. learning how time is represented through the tense of a verb (for example, ‘She arrived.’ or ‘She is arriving.’) and adverbials of time (for example, ‘She arrived yesterday.’ or ‘She is arriving in the morning.’)
    2. learning that tenses for some verbs are formed by changing the word, for example ‘She catches the ball.’ or ‘She caught the ball.’
  4. understand how modal verbs indicate obligation, probability and possibility (VC2E3LA09)
    1. exploring how modal verbs (for example, ‘must’, ‘might’ and ‘could’) indicate degrees of probability or obligation
  5. identify how images and sound extend the meaning of a text (VC2E3LA10)
    1. recognising how the relationship between characters can be depicted in images through the positioning of the characters; for example, facing each other or facing away from each other, the distance between them, the relative size, one character looking up (or down) at the other (power relationships), facial expressions and body gestures
    2. recognising how images construct a relationship with the viewer through a direct gaze into the viewer’s eyes, inviting involvement, and how close-ups are more engaging than distanced images, which can suggest alienation or loneliness
  6. extend topic-specific and technical vocabulary and know that words can have different meanings in different contexts (VC2E3LA11)
    1. identifying and using technical words to describe length, for example metric units of length such as ‘millimetre’ and ‘centimetre’
    2. identifying and using words to describe features of narratives, for example ‘character’, ‘plot’ and ‘setting’
    3. identifying words that have different meanings in different contexts, for example ‘warm temperature’ and ‘warm character’
    4. extending vocabulary by adding prefixes and suffixes to base words, for example ‘different’, ‘differently’ and ‘difference’
  7. understand that apostrophes signal missing letters in contractions, and how apostrophes are used to show singular and plural possession in regular and irregular nouns (VC2E3LA12)
    1. using apostrophes to create contractions; for example, ‘do not’ becomes ‘dont’, ‘will not’ becomes ‘wont’ and ‘of the clock’ becomes ‘oclock’
    2. using apostrophes to show singular possession, for example ‘my friends book’ and ‘the princesss shoe’
    3. using apostrophes to show plural possession, for example ‘the bees hive’ and ‘the princesses shoes’
    4. using apostrophes to show plural possessions in irregular nouns, for example ‘the childrens shoes’ and ‘the mices cheese’

Literature

Literature and contexts
  1. discuss characters, settings and events in different contexts in literary texts by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors and illustrators and a wide range of Australian and world authors and illustrators (VC2E3LE01)
    1. exploring the ways in which a wide range of authors tell the same story, identifying variations in the storyline
    2. discussing characters and their relationship with Country/Place and families in literature by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors
    3. discussing similarities and differences in the way that an archetype, such as a wolf, is portrayed in different versions of children’s stories by a wide range of world authors
    4. exploring the ways that Australian settings are portrayed in stories
Engaging with and responding to literature
  1. discuss connections between personal experiences and character experiences in a range of literary texts and give reasons for personal preferences (VC2E3LE02)
    1. discussing relevant prior knowledge and past experiences to make meaningful connections to the people, places, events, issues and ideas in texts
    2. selecting and discussing favourite texts and explaining reasons for assigning greater or lesser merit to particular texts or types of texts
Examining literature
  1. discuss how an author uses language and illustrations to build plots and portray characters and settings in literary texts, and explore how mood is created through settings and events (VC2E3LE03)
    1. identifying and discussing how the use of descriptive language creates setting, influences atmosphere and draws readers into events that follow, for example ‘The castle loomed dark and forbidding.’
    2. discussing the language used to describe the traits of characters in stories, their actions and motivations, for example ‘Dev was so lonely; he desperately wanted a pet, so he hatched a plan to get what he wanted.’
  2. identify and discuss some literary devices, including rhythm and onomatopoeia in poetry and prose, and discuss the ways that they shape the reader’s reaction (VC2E3LE04)
    1. discussing the effects of imagery in texts, for example the use of imagery related to nature in haiku poems
    2. generating questions to discuss effects, for example ‘Why does the poet use onomatopoeia in this line of the poem?’
Creating literature
  1. create texts, using or adapting language features, characters, settings, plot structures and ideas from literary texts they have encountered (VC2E3LE05)
    1. drawing on literary texts read, viewed and listened to for inspiration and ideas to create texts
    2. adapting texts read, viewed and listened to by changing the setting or revising an ending
    3. discussing characters encountered in literary texts and sharing ideas about how those characters may be a model for students’ own writing

Literacy

Interacting with others
  1. use interaction skills to contribute to conversations and discussions to share text- or topic-based information and ideas (VC2E3LY01)
    1. building on and connecting ideas and opinions expressed by others
    2. listening actively, including listening for specific information, recognising the value of others’ contributions and responding through comments, recounts and summaries of information
    3. learning the specific speaking or listening skills of different group roles, for example group leader, note taker and reporter
    4. using language appropriately in different situations; for example, explaining a procedure to a group or engaging in a game with friends
  2. deliver spoken texts to an audience using features of voice (VC2E3LY02)
    1. adjusting tone and pace to purpose and audience
Phonic and word knowledge
  1. understand how to apply knowledge of phoneme–grapheme correspondences, syllables, and blending and segmenting to fluently read and write multisyllabic words with more complex letter patterns (VC2E3LY03)
    1. reading and writing more complex words with consonant digraphs and consonant blends, for example ‘shrinking’, ‘against’ and ‘rocket’
    2. reading and writing consonant digraphs representing different sounds, for example ‘machine’, ‘change’ and ‘school’
  2. understand how to apply knowledge of common base words, prefixes, suffixes and generalisations for adding a suffix to a base word to read and comprehend new multimorphemic words (VC2E3LY04)
    1. understanding how to use knowledge of prefixes to change the meaning of a base word, for example ‘undone’, ‘remove’ and ‘misunderstand’
    2. using generalisations for adding a suffix to a base word to form a plural or past tense; for example, to make a word plural when it ends in ‘ss’, ‘sh’, ‘ch’ or ‘z’, add ‘es’
  3. use phoneme–grapheme relationships and less common letter patterns to spell words (VC2E3LY05)
    1. using phonic knowledge to explore less common letter patterns after short vowels, for example words that end in ‘dge’, such as ‘badge’, ‘edge’ and ‘fridge’
    2. using phonic knowledge and knowledge of letter patterns to spell words with 3-letter blends, for example ‘str-ip’
  4. recognise and know how to write most high-frequency words, including some homophones (VC2E3LY06)
    1. using context and syntactic knowledge to spell homophones, for example ‘break’ and ‘brake’ or ‘ate’ and ‘eight’
Building fluency and making meaning
  1. read different types of texts using phonic, semantic and grammatical knowledge to read accurately and fluently for meaning, re-reading and self-correcting when required (VC2E3LY07)
    1. using phonic knowledge, word knowledge, vocabulary and grammatical knowledge to read unknown words
    2. reading a wider range of texts from different learning areas, including chapter books and informative texts
Texts in context
  1. discuss how texts with similar purposes can be created for different audiences (VC2E3LY08)
    1. discussing the ways in which a safety campaign varies depending on its audience; for example, comparing how a road safety campaign for adults driving a car is different to a road safety campaign for children crossing the road
    2. discussing how the instructions for assembling and using toys vary according to the age of the intended user
Analysing, interpreting and evaluating
  1. identify the purpose and audience of different types of texts through the use of language features and/or images in the texts (VC2E3LY09)
    1. identifying words, phrases and images intended to persuade listeners, viewers or readers
    2. identifying features of advertisements that target children
    3. identifying the purpose of a narrative text; for example, identifying the purpose of a fable
  2. use comprehension strategies, such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising, monitoring and questioning, to analyse texts by drawing on a growing knowledge of context, text structures and language features to build literal and inferred meanings (VC2E3LY10)
    1. making predictions about a text, drawing on knowledge of the topic, subject-specific vocabulary and experience of texts on the same topic
    2. identifying important ideas, events or details in texts
    3. learning new content from reading and listening, and asking questions to expand understanding
    4. comparing and contrasting how different texts present similar ideas or information
    5. drawing inferences, using evidence from the text and prior knowledge and experience; for example, making predictions about a character's likely actions or about the content of tabbed pages on a website
    6. determining the relevance of a text for a particular task
Creating texts
  1. create narrative, informative and persuasive texts, written and spoken, with ideas grouped in simple paragraphs, using topic-specific and precise vocabulary and multimodal elements as appropriate (VC2E3LY11)
    1. gathering information and ideas about a topic in preparation for writing, which may include information and ideas from online and digital sources
    2. researching a topic to prepare an oral or multimodal presentation
    3. planning the sequence of ideas and information using techniques such as storyboards or a simple flow chart
    4. explaining ideas to a peer when planning a presentation
    5. selecting an appropriate text structure for a writing purpose, and sequencing content for clarity and to have an impact on an audience
    6. using appropriate simple and compound sentences to express and combine ideas
    7. using vocabulary, including topic-specific vocabulary, relevant to the type of text and purpose
    8. using digital tools to plan, sequence, compose and edit texts
  2. re-read and edit texts for meaning, appropriate structure, grammatical choices and punctuation (VC2E3LY12)
    1. using print and online dictionaries and spellcheck to edit spelling, realising that spellcheck accuracy depends on understanding the word function, for example ‘there’ or ‘their’ and ‘rain’ or ‘reign’
    2. checking for correct use of apostrophes for contractions and to indicate possession
  3. write words using joined letters that are clearly formed and consistent in size (VC2E3LY13)
    1. Content description does not require elaboration.

Level 3 Achievement Standard

By the end of Level 3, students demonstrate the following skills in English.

Speaking and Listening

When interacting with others, students extend topic-specific and appropriate vocabulary and use cooperation strategies and interaction skills to contribute to discussions....

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