Sample map: Australian Curriculum – English
This sample map shows explicit reference to Asia content in the Australian Curriculum for English.
Download full Sample map of Asia related content in Australian Curriculum: English (PDF 198 KB)
Foundation
Level description
In the Foundation year, students communicate with peers, teachers, known adults, and students from other classes.
Texts include traditional oral texts, picture books, various types of stories, rhyming verse, poetry, non-fiction, film, multi-modal texts and dramatic performances. Students participate in shared reading, viewing and storytelling using a range of literary texts, and recognise the entertaining nature of literature.
Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts including pictorial representations, short statements, performances, recounts and poetry.
Content descriptions or Elaborations
Understand that English is one of many languages spoken in Australia and that different languages may be spoken by family, classmates and community (ACELA14256)
- learning that Standard Australian English in written texts is read from left to right and from top to bottom of the page and that direction of print may differ in other cultures, for example Japanese texts (ACELA1433)
- engaging with texts that reflect the social and cultural groups to which the students belong (ACELT1575)
- identifying some features of culture related to characters and events in literary texts, for example dress, food and daily routines (ACELT1578)
Year 1
Level description
In Year 1, students communicate with peers, teachers, known adults and students from other classes.
These encompass traditional oral texts including Aboriginal stories, picture books, various types of stories, rhyming verse, poetry, non-fiction, film, dramatic performances, and texts used by students as models for constructing their own texts.
Students create a variety of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts including recounts, procedures, performances, literary re-tellings and poetry.
Content descriptions and Elaborations
Respond to texts drawn from a range of cultures and experiences (ACELY1655)
- identifying similarities between texts from different cultural traditions, for example representations of dragons in traditional European and Asian texts, and how spiritual beings are represented in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories (ACELT1581)
- exploring performance poetry, chants and songs from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Asian cultures (ACELT1585)
- listening to and performing simple haiku poems about familiar topics such as nature and the seasons (ACELT1585)
- creating visual representations of literary texts from Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Asian cultures (ACELT1586)
- learning to value listening, questioning and positive body language and understanding that different cultures may approach these differently (ACELY1656)
Year 2
Level description
In Year 2, students communicate with peers, teachers, students from other classes, and community members.
Literary texts involve sequences of events that span several pages and present unusual happenings within a framework of familiar experiences. Informative texts present new content about topics of interest and topics being studied in other areas of the curriculum.
Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts including imaginative retellings, reports, performances, poetry and expositions.
Content descriptions and Elaborations
- identifying examples and features of different kinds of spoken, non-verbal, written and visual communication from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and from several Asian cultures within Australia, and associating those features with particular communities (ACELA1460)
- recognising some phrases in the languages of the class and community, for example greetings and expressions of politeness (ACELA1460)
- exploring culturally specific greetings and expressions of politeness (ACELA1461)
- discussing moral and teaching stories from varied cultures, identifying and comparing their central messages (ACELT1587)
- describing features of texts from different cultures including recurring language patterns, style of illustrations, elements of humour or drama, and identifying the features which give rise to their personal preferences (ACELT1590)
- exploring poems, chants, rhymes or songs from different cultures which class members may bring from home (ACELT1592)
- learning to recite, sing or create interpretations of poems, chants, rhymes or songs from students’ own and other different cultures (ACELT1592)
- identifying examples and features of different kinds of spoken, non-verbal, written and visual communication from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and from several Asian cultures within Australia (ACELY1665)
- comparing two or more versions of the same topic by different authors or from different cultures, describing similarities and differences (ACELY1665)
Year 3
Level description
In Year 3, students communicate with peers and teachers from other classes and schools in a range of face-to-face and online/virtual environments.
Literary texts describe complex sequences of events that extend over several pages and involve unusual happenings within a framework of familiar experiences. Informative texts present new content about topics of interest and topics being studied in other areas of the curriculum.
Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive types of texts including narratives, procedures, performances, reports, reviews, poetry and expositions.
Content descriptions and Elaborations
Create imaginative texts based on characters, settings and events from students’ own and other cultures using visual features, for example perspective, distance and angle (ACELT1601)
- learning that a word or sign can carry different weight in different cultural contexts, for example that particular respect is due to some people and creatures and that stories can be passed on to teach us how to live appropriately (ACELA1475)
- exploring the ways that the same story can be told in many cultures, identifying variations in the storyline and in music (for example ‘The Ramayana’ story which is told to children in India, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Laos, Tibet and Malaysia) (ACELT1594)
- drawing on literature from Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Asian cultures, to explore commonalities of experience and ideas as well as recognizing difference in lifestyle and world view (ACELT1596)
- identifying the effect of imagery in texts, for example the use of imagery related to nature in haiku poems (ACELT1600)
- creating visual and multi-modal texts based on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander or Asian literature, applying one or more visual elements to convey the intent of the original text (ACELT1791)
Year 4
Level description
In Year 4, students experience learning in familiar contexts and a range of contexts that relate to study in other areas of the curriculum. They interact with peers and teachers from other classes and schools in a range of face-to-face and online/virtual environments.
Literary texts describe complex sequences of events that extend over several pages and involve unusual happenings within a framework of familiar experiences. Informative texts present new content about topics of interest and topics being studied in other areas of the curriculum.
Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive types of texts including narratives, procedures, performances, reports, reviews, poetry and expositions.
Content descriptions and Elaborations
- identifying words used in Standard Australian English that are derived from other languages, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, and determining if the original meaning is reflected in English usage, for example kangaroo, tsunami, typhoon, amok, orang-utan (ACELA1487)
- identifying commonly used words derived from other cultures (ACELA1487)
- understanding how age, status, expertise and familiarity influence the ways in which we interact with people and how these codes and conventions vary across cultures (ACELA1488)
- commenting on how authors have established setting and period in different cultures and times and the relevance of characters, actions and beliefs to their own time (ACELT1602)
- comparing different authors’ treatment of similar themes and text patterns, for example comparing fables and allegories from different cultures and quest novels by different authors (ACELT1602)
Year 5
Level description
In Year 5 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.
Literary texts describe complex sequences, a range of non-stereotypical characters and elaborated events including flashbacks and shifts in time and explore themes of interpersonal relationships and ethical dilemmas within real-world and fantasy settings.
Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive types of texts including narratives, procedures, performances, reports, reviews, explanations and discussions.
Content descriptions and Elaborations
- exploring examples of words in which pronunciation, writing and meaning has changed over time, including words from a range of cultures (ACELA1500)
- identifying ways in which cultures differ in making and responding to common requests, for example periods of silence, degrees of formality (ACELA1501)
Identify aspects of literary texts that convey details or information about particular social, cultural and historical contexts (ACELT1608)
- describing how aspects of literature, for example visuals, symbolic elements, dialogue and character descriptions, can convey information about cultural elements, such as beliefs, traditions and customs (ACELT1608)
- identifying variability within cultural contexts in literary texts, recognising the diversity of people’s experiences within a cultural group such as differences in setting and lifestyle between urban and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (ACELT1608)
Year 6
Level description
In Year 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 develop their understanding of how texts, including media texts, are influenced by context, purpose and audience.
Literary texts 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.
Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive types of texts such as narratives, procedures, performances, reports, reviews, explanations and discussions.
Content descriptions and Elaborations
Understand that different social and geographical dialects or accents are used in Australia in addition to Standard Australian English (ACELA1515)
- recognising that all languages and dialects are of equal value, although we use different ones in different contexts, for example the use of Standard Australian English, Aboriginal English and forms of Creole used by some Torres Strait Islander groups and some of Australia’s near neighbours (ACELA1515)
- making connections between students’ own experiences and those of characters and events represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1613)
- recognising the influence our different historical, social and cultural experiences may have on the meaning we make from the text and the attitudes we may develop towards characters, actions and events (ACELT1613)
- using display advertising as a topic vehicle for close analysis of the ways images and words combine for deliberate effect including examples from the countries of Asia (for example comparing Hollywood film posters with Indian Bollywood film posters) (ACELY1708)
- exploring personal reasons for acceptance or rejection of opinions offered and linking the reasons to the way our cultural experiences can affect our responses (ACELY1709)
Year 7
Level description
In Year 7, students communicate with peers, teachers, individuals, groups and community members in a range of face-to-face and online/virtual environments. They experience learning in both familiar and unfamiliar contexts that relate to the school curriculum, local community, regional and global contexts.
Students develop their understanding of how texts, including media texts, are influenced by context, purpose and audience.
Texts explore themes of interpersonal relationships and ethical dilemmas within real-world and fictional settings and represent a variety of perspectives. Informative texts present technical and content information from various sources about specialised topics.
Content descriptions and Elaborations
Understand, interpret and discuss how language is compressed to produce a dramatic effect in film or drama, and to create layers of meaning in poetry, for example haiku, tankas, couplets, free verse and verse novels (ACELT1623)
- exploring languages and dialects through building webcam relationships with schools across Australia and Asia (ACELA1528)
- identifying and exploring ideas and viewpoints about events, issues and characters represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1619)
- identifying aspects of texts that convey details of information about a particular culture, for example words, phrases, circumstances, facts (ACELT1619)
- exploring traditional stories from Asia and discussing their engaging features, for example use of the oral mode, visual elements, verse, use of puppets to convey the narrative (ACELT1622)
- drawing on literature and life experiences to create a poem, for example ballad, series of haiku (ACELT1805)
Year 8
Level description
In Year 8, students interact with peers, teachers, individuals, groups and community members in a range of face-to-face and online/virtual environments. They experience learning in both familiar and unfamiliar contexts that relate to the school curriculum, local community, regional and global contexts.
Students develop their understanding of how texts, including media texts, are influenced by context, purpose and audience.
Texts explore themes of interpersonal relationships and ethical dilemmas within real-world and fictional settings and represent a variety of perspectives. Informative texts present technical and content information from various sources about specialised topics.
Content descriptions and Elaborations
Understand the influence and impact that the English language has had on other languages or dialects and how English has been influenced in return (ACELA1540)
- exploring examples of Singlish (Singapore English) from a Singlish dictionary (ACELA1540)
Explore the ways that ideas and viewpoints in literary texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts may reflect or challenge the values of individuals or groups (ACELT1626)
- comparing attitudes and ideas in texts drawn from contexts that are different to students’ own (ACELT1626)
Explore the interconnectedness of Country and Place, People, Identity and Culture in texts including those by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors (ACELT1806)
- selecting aspects of a text related to Country and Place, People, Identity and Culture and adapt it for a new context, noting if changes in one aspect will result in changes in another (ACELT1806)
- explaining how individual interpretations of these aspects are influenced by students’ own knowledge, values and cultural assumptions (ACELT1806)
Recognise and explaining differing viewpoints about the world, cultures, individual people and concerns represented in texts (ACELT1807)
- creating texts that express views and values other than students’ own (ACELY1731)
Year 9
Level description
In Year 9, students interact with peers, teachers, individuals, groups and community members in a range of face-to-face and online/virtual environments. They experience learning in familiar and unfamiliar contexts, including local community, vocational and global contexts.
Themes and issues involve levels of abstraction, higher order reasoning and intertextual references. Students develop a critical understanding of the contemporary media, and the differences between media texts.
Literary texts involve complex, challenging and unpredictable plot sequences and hybrid structures that may serve multiple purposes. These texts explore themes of human experience and cultural significance, interpersonal relationships, and ethical and global dilemmas within real-world and fictional settings and represent a variety of perspectives.
Content descriptions and Elaborations
- identifying the various communities to which students belong and how language reinforces membership of these communities (the intimate language of family members, the jargon of teenage groups, the technicality of some online communities, the language specific to recreational groups, the interaction patterns of the classroom, the commonalities in migrant and cultural groups) (ACELA1551)
Interpret and compare how representations of people and culture in literary texts are drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1633)
- exploring and reflecting on personal understanding of the world and human experience, interpreted in literature drawn from cultures and times different from the students’ own (ACELT1633)
- exploring and reflecting on representations of values (for example love, freedom, integrity) in literature drawn from cultures and times other than the students’ own (ACELT1633)
- reviewing historical fiction or nonfiction written by and about the peoples of Asia (ACELT1633)
- analysing literary texts created by and about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (including documentaries, picture books, print texts and other multi-modal texts) and also texts including film produced by and about peoples of Asian background, and considering the different ways these texts represent people, places, things and issues (ACELT1633)
- exploring the ways that context has shaped the representation of particular cultures, such as through the analysis of differing viewpoints in texts about different cultures or by comparing the ways texts from different periods reveal differences in viewpoints (for example differences in the portrayal of migrants in traditional and more contemporary literature) (ACELT1634)
Explore and reflect on personal understanding of the world and significant human experience gained from interpreting various representations of life matters in texts (ACELT1635)
Analyse how the construction and interpretation of texts, including media texts, can be influenced by cultural perspectives and other texts (ACELY1739)
- comparing perspectives represented in texts from different times and places, including texts drawn from popular culture (ACELY1739)
- reflecting on the notion that all texts build on a body of prior texts in a culture (ACELY1739)
- analysing and identifying how socio-cultural values, attitudes and beliefs are conveyed in texts, for example comparing and analysing perspectives about an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issue reported in commercial media compared to public and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander media (ACELY1739)
- analysing how issues are debated and reported in the media in different countries, and the possible reasons for this, for example ‘whaling’ in Japan and Australia (ACELY1742)
Year 10
Level description
In Years 9 and 10, students interact with peers, teachers, individuals, groups and community members in a range of face-to-face and online/virtual environments. They experience learning in familiar and unfamiliar contexts, including local community, vocational and global contexts.
Themes and issues involve levels of abstraction, higher order reasoning and intertextual references. Students develop critical understanding of the contemporary media, and the differences between media texts.
Literary texts involve complex, challenging and unpredictable plot sequences and hybrid structures that may serve multiple purposes. These texts explore themes of human experience and cultural significance, interpersonal relationships, and ethical and global dilemmas within real-world and fictional settings and represent a variety of perspectives.
Content descriptions and Elaborations
- identifying appeals to shared cultural knowledge, values and beliefs (ACELA1564)
- reflecting on experiences of when language includes, distances or marginalises others (ACELA1564)
Compare and evaluate a range of representations of individuals and groups in different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1639)
- exploring and reflecting on personal understanding of the world and human experience, interpreted in literature drawn from cultures and times different from the students’ own (ACELT1639)
- reflecting upon and asking questions about interpretations of texts relevant to a student’s cultural background (ACELT1640)
Analyse and evaluate how people, cultures, places, events, objects and concepts are represented in texts, including media texts, through language, structural and/or visual choices (ACELY1749)
- considering ethical positions across more than one culture as represented in text and consider the similarities and differences (ACELY1749)
- questioning the representation of stereotypes of people, cultures, places, events and concepts, and expressing views on the appropriateness of these representations (ACELY1749)
- identifying and explaining satirical events, including events in other cultures, for example depictions in political cartoons (ACELY1749)
- identifying and evaluating poetic, lyrical language in the depiction of people, culture, places, events, things and concepts in texts (ACELY1749)
- exploring models of sustained texts created for persuasive purposes about a challenging or complex issue from other cultures, including Asia (ACELY1756)