Events to date.... April 2008: National Curriculum Board established Oct 2008: Initial advice paper discussed at National English Forum Nov Feb 2009: Consultation re English framing paper May 2009: Writing of national English curriculum commences I March 2010: Drafts of national English K-10 curriculum available for consultation

What’s next? I March 2010: Drafts of Australian English K-10 curriculum March - May 2010: National consultation on English curriculum draft K-10 Apr – June 2010: August 2010: Australian English curriculum K-10 published October 2010: Jan 2011: Implementation of English curriculum commences from this month 2013 ACARA says implementation should be “well underway” by 2013

Language Literature Literacy The modes Listening Speaking Reading (& viewing) Writing (& creating) page 2 English/organisation

The strands Language: involves learning about the English language and how it works, including grammar, spelling and punctuation, as well as a study of the history of the language and its contemporary uses and value Literacy: involves the application of English knowledge and skills to listen, view, read, speak and write and create a growing repertoire of texts Literature: involves learning to interpret, appreciate, evaluate and create literary texts, including narrative, poetry, prose, plays, films and multimodal texts.

 “The three strands of Language, Literature and Literacy are interwoven and inform and support each other.”  “While the amount of time devoted to each strand may vary, each strand is of equal importance….” Literature Literacy Language

Literature Language Literacy

Curriculum for a particular year Content descriptions organised into strands Content elaborations Resources Achievement standards Work samples Organisation of the curriculum

page 12 English draft consultation version 1.0 Australian curriculum

 The strands of language, literature and literacy are all strongly represented in the NSW English 7-10 Syllabus.  The modes of reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing and creating (“creating” is called “representing” in NSW) are familiar.  Australian Curriculum: English requires students to engage with and produce written, spoken and multimedia texts, as do NSW English syllabuses.  The expectation of the Australian Curriculum: English that literacy will be included in the teaching of other learning areas is also an expectation in NSW.  Australian Curriculum: English is closely aligned to NSW K-6 English Syllabus in the teaching of grammar and reading. What should be familiar to NSW teachers in the Australian English curriculum?

In earlier consultations, NSW primary teachers and secondary English teachers have suggested the following differences between NSW English syllabuses and the Australian English curriculum:  The Australian Curriculum: English strands are different to the strands in the NSW K-6 English Syllabus, which are based on the modes of talking and listening, reading and writing. NSW English 7-10 Syllabus does not have strands, except for Learning about and Learning to.  Australian Curriculum: English has a stronger focus on literature in K-6 than NSW K-6 syllabus.  The Australian Curriculum: English curriculum requires a more explicit and systematic approach to the teaching of grammar in Years 7-10 than in NSW syllabus.  Australian Curriculum: English has less focus on media than the NSW 7-10 syllabus.  Australian Curriculum: English does not include specific text requirements, as does the NSW 7-10 syllabus.  The NSW 7-10 syllabus provides a more holistic guide to teaching, whereas the division between strands in the Australian English curriculum requires teachers to decide how the strands will be integrated in classroom teaching.  Australian Curriculum: English provides minimal or no cover of Outcomes 9 and 11, which focus on connectedness and metacognition respectively.  The curriculum dimension about Asian literacy may provide some challenges for NSW teachers. Note that difference is not necessarily a bad thing! What may be less familiar in the Australian English curriculum for NSW teachers?

 Consider all aspects of the curriculum in terms of where students are ‘at’ developmentally in a particular year level ◦ their conceptual and abstract thinking ◦ their prior knowledge and experiences ◦ their social and emotional development  Will this curriculum work for your students?

 Choose a year (and consider a cohort of students). Look at the strands, content, content elaboration and achievement standards. Are they in line with your expectations of this stage of development? Send feedback via English 7-10 online forum: Feedback thread # 2 YEAR LEVELS  Choose a strand and then look across year levels. Is there continuity? Send feedback via English 7-10 online forum: Feedback thread # 3 STRANDS

 Looking forward ◦ Is this curriculum everything we want it to be for students in the 21 st century? ◦ Does the learning matter? Will this curriculum make a difference for students now and in the future?  Looking back ◦ Map against our current NSW English syllabuses. ◦ Are the standards or expectations similar? Similarities and differences in curriculum content? Anything missing? Additional or new content?

 Is the learning appropriate for the year level?  Is there adequate quality and rigour in the curriculum?  Is there continuity from one year to the next?  Does the curriculum provide adequate prescription for teachers?  Is the curriculum inclusive of all students?  Is there sufficient flexibility to tailor curriculum to suit students’ interests, needs and abilities?  Is this a curriculum that will prepare students for the future? Send feedback via English 7-10 online forum: Feedback thread # 5 GENERAL FEEDBACK Evaluating the Australian English curriculum: key questions

 Will teachers need more access to appropriate Asian literature and material to support those texts?  Will teachers need to tailor the new curriculum to suit the needs of particular groups of students? Will they need support for this? ◦ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students ◦ ESL students ◦ Students with learning difficulties ◦ Students with disabilities ◦ Gifted and talented students ◦ Others?  Will teachers need ‘text requirements’ for the Literature strand?  Will teachers need resources that show how they can integrate the three strands in their classroom teaching?  Will teachers need support to teach grammar more explicitly and systematically?  Any other support required for implementation? Send feedback via English 7-10 online forum: Feedback thread # 4 SUPPORT Identifying the issues - and areas where support might be needed

 To register for the forum:  If you have any problems with registering please contact Chris Dorbis via or telephone If you have been issued a password, please click on the following link to enter the forum. Chris Dorbis  To enter the forum:  The latest version of the Australian English curriculum and this PowerPoint are available in the forum. Sharing your views: DET online forum

Secondary English teachers may also choose to share their views about the Australian English curriculum via:  English Teachers’ Association  NSW Board of Studies  or directly to ACARA Sharing your views: other avenues