English v8.

1
Year 6 Syllabus
Year Level Description

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 Pre-primary 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.
 Language
LANGUAGE VARIATION AND CHANGE
Understand that different
social and geographical
dialects or accents are
used in Australia in
addition to Standard
Australian English
(ACELA1515)

Literacy
Intercultural
understanding

LANGUAGE FOR INTERACTION

Understand that Understand the uses of
strategies for interaction objective and subjective
become more complex language and bias
and demanding as levels (ACELA1517)
of formality and social
distance increase
Literacy
(ACELA1516)
Personal and social
capability
Literacy
Personal and social
capability

LANGUAGE FOR INTERACTION

Understand how authors Understand that Understand the uses of
often innovate on text cohesive links can be commas to separate
structures and play with made in texts by omitting clauses (ACELA1521)
language features to or replacing words
achieve particular (ACELA1520) Literacy
aesthetic, humorous and
persuasive purposes and
Literacy
effects (ACELA1518)

Literacy
Personal and social
capability

EXPRESSING AND DEVELOPING IDEAS

Investigate how complex Understand how ideas Identify and explain how
sentences can be used can be expanded and analytical images like
in a variety of ways to sharpened through figures, tables, diagrams,
elaborate, extend and careful choice of verbs, maps and graphs
explain ideas elaborated tenses and a contribute to our
(ACELA1522) range of adverb understanding of verbal
groups/phrases information in factual and
(ACELA1523) persuasive texts
Literacy
(ACELA1524)
Critical and creative
thinking Literacy
Literacy
Numeracy
Critical and creative
thinking

Investigate how vocabulary choices, including evaluative language can express

shades of meaning, feeling and opinion (ACELA1525)

Literacy
Critical and creative thinking

PHONICS AND WORD KNOWLEDGE

Understand how to use Understand how to use
knowledge of known phonic knowledge and
words, word origins accumulated
including some Latin and understandings about
Greek roots, base words, blending, letter-sound
prefixes, suffixes, letter relationships, common
patterns and spelling and uncommon letter
generalisations to spell patterns and phonic
new words including generalisations to read
technical words and write increasingly
(ACELA1526) complex words
(ACELA1830)
Literacy
Literacy

Literature
LANGUAGE CONTEXT
Make connections
between students’ own
experiences and those of
characters and events
represented in texts
drawn from different
historical, social and
cultural contexts
(ACELT1613)

Literacy
Critical and creative
thinking
Personal and social
capability
Intercultural
understanding

RESPONDING TO LITERATURE
Analyse and evaluate similarities Identify and explain how
and differences in texts on similar choices in language, for
topics, themes or plots (ACELT1614) example modality, emphasis,
repetition and metaphor,
influence personal response to
Literacy
 Critical and creative thinking different texts (ACELT1615)

Literacy
Critical and creative thinking

EXAMINING LITERATURE
Identify, describe, and discuss Identify the relationship between
similarities and differences between words, sounds, imagery and
texts, including those by the same language patterns in narratives
author or illustrator, and evaluate and poetry such as ballads,
characteristics that define an author’s limericks and free verse
individual style (ACELT1616) (ACELT1617)

Literacy Literacy
Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking

CREATING LITERATURE
Create literary texts that Experiment with text structures and
adapt or combine language features and their effects
aspects of texts students in creating literary texts, for
have experienced in example, using imagery, sentence
innovative ways variation, metaphor and word
(ACELT1618) choice (ACELT1800)

Literacy Literacy
Critical and creative Critical and creative thinking
thinking

Literacy
TEXT IN CONTEXT
Compare texts including media
texts that represent ideas and
events in different ways,
explaining the effects of the
different approaches
(ACELY1708)

Literacy
Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) capability
Critical and creative thinking

INTERACTING WITH OTHERS

Participate in and Use interaction skills, Plan, rehearse and
contribute to varying conventions of deliver presentations,
discussions, clarifying spoken interactions such selecting and
and interrogating ideas, as voice volume, tone, sequencing appropriate
developing and pitch and pace, content and multimodal
supporting arguments, according to group size, elements for defined
sharing and evaluating formality of interaction audiences and purposes,
information, experiences and needs and expertise making appropriate
and opinions of the audience choices for modality and
(ACELY1709) (ACELY1816) emphasis (ACELY1710)

Literacy Literacy Literacy

Critical and creative Personal and social Information and
thinking capability Communication
Personal and social Technology (ICT)
capability capability
Critical and creative
thinking
Personal and social
capability

INTERPRETING, ANALYZING, EVALUATING

Analyse how text Select, navigate and Use comprehension
structures and language read texts for a range of strategies to interpret
features work together to purposes, applying and analyse information
meet the purpose of a appropriate text and ideas, comparing
text (ACELY1711) processing strategies content from a variety of
and interpreting textual sources including
structural features, for media and digital texts
Literacy
example table of
 Critical and creative contents, glossary, (ACELY1713)
thinking chapters, headings and
subheadings
Literacy
(ACELY1712)
Information and
Communication
Literacy Technology (ICT)
Critical and creative capability
thinking Critical and creative
thinking

Analyse strategies
authors use to influence
readers (ACELY1801)

Literacy
Critical and creative
thinking

CREATING TEXTS
Plan, draft and publish Plan, draft and publish Re-read and edit
imaginative, informative imaginative, informative students’ own and
and persuasive texts, and persuasive texts, others’ work using
choosing and choosing and agreed criteria and
experimenting with text experimenting with text explaining editing
structures, language structures, language choices (ACELY1715)
features, images and features, images and
digital resources digital resources
Literacy
appropriate to purpose appropriate to purpose
Critical and creative
and audience and audience thinking
(ACELY1714) (ACELY1714)

Literacy Literacy
Information and Information and
Communication Communication
Technology (ICT) Technology (ICT)
capability capability
Critical and creative Critical and creative
thinking thinking

Re-read and edit Develop a handwriting Use a range of software,

students’ own and style that is legible, fluent including word
others’ work using and automatic and varies processing programs,
agreed criteria and according to audience learning new functions
explaining editing and purpose as required to create
choices (ACELY1715) (ACELY1716) texts (ACELY1717)

Literacy Literacy Literacy

Critical and creative Information and
thinking Communication
Technology (ICT)
capability
Critical and creative
thinking

Year 6 Achievement Standard

Handwriting behaviours are not described in the year level achievement standard or the
writing assessment pointers. Instead, the Authority has developed the Handwriting
Continuum to support Western Australian teachers in the teaching and monitoring of
student handwriting for Pre-primary through to Year 10. The Handwriting Continuum can
be found under the Teaching menu in the K-10 section of this website. Teachers will need
to log in to the Extranet to access this resource.
Reading and Viewing
At Standard, 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.
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
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.
Speaking and Listening
Students listen to discussions, clarifying content and challenging others’ ideas. They
understand how language features and language patterns can be used for emphasis.
Students 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.