Teacher librarians as innovators and
collaborators in the Australian
Curriculum
Joy Whiteside
Head of Library, Keilor Campus
Overnewton Anglican Community College
A foundational premise …..
General Capabilities in the Australian Curriculum
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Overview/general-capabilities-in-theaustralian-curriculum
The Australian Curriculum website
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overviews
continua
links to examples
cross references
explanations
symbols
tables
Includes a guided
tour
Australian Curriculum
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Over
view/general-capabilities-in-the-australian-curriculum
Developing a Scope and Sequence
for the program
• Investigate learning area content relevant to
the program
• Examine the General Capabilities and Cross
Curriculum priorities
• Create a table with relevant descriptors
Scope and Sequence example
A relevant GC descriptor
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/information-and-communication-technology-capability/Continuum#page=2
General Capability
Literacy
Numeracy
ICT Capability
Critical and
Creative
thinking
Personal and
Social
Capability
Ethical
Understanding
Intercultural
Understanding
How will the General Capabilities be met
within the library program?
Numeracy – where does this fit in
the library program?
Dewey – recognising,
reading and
understanding call
numbers
Interpreting class data
on preferences or
understandings
(E.g students
completing a Google
Form and then
interpreting data
together)
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Numeracy/Organisingelements/Organising-elements
Learning program sample
Resources
What resources will I
choose to assist students
with their learning?
Skills
What skills will the students
be developing in their
lessons?
Learning Intention
What exactly will the students
be learning during the lessons?
Thinking and response
What will the students do in
their lessons that will enable
them to think, engage with
the learning, and respond?
Assessment /
Success Criteria
How will the learning in the
lessons be measured?
The Giving Tree
by Shel Silverstein
New York, 1964
Discuss literary experiences
with others, sharing
responses and expressing a
point of view (ACELT1603)
Students will explore the notion
of “give and take” and how it
works in our relationship with
the environment.
Contribution to class
discussion
Make connections between
the ways different authors
may represent similar
storylines, ideas and
relationships (ACELT1602)
They will make connections
between the story and other
texts on the topic
‘sustainability’
Use some of the Story
Strategy questions (Making
Thinking Visible:32) for Think
– Pair – Share.
What’s the story?
What’s the other story?
How do you know the story?
Why know or tell the story?
Where’s the power in the
story?
Also - ‘What makes you say
that?’ to encourage students
to justify and explain their
thoughts and ideas
IWB
iPads
Library site on the
Intranet – Year 4
Sustainability blog
Students will learn how to
respond to a story on the class
blog
Vocabulary Continue to develop an
understanding of
‘sustainability’
Discuss other terms arising
from the text such as
responsible, nurture, support,
deplete
Response to a question on
the Year 4 Sustainability blog
Literature Scope and Sequence to
reflect the Cross-Curriculum priorities
recapping
• Understanding the Australian Curriculum
content and the General Capabilities and the
Cross-curriculum priorities
• Developing a scope and sequence
• Redeveloping Curriculum documents –
explicit reference to the GCs
• Redeveloping learning programs
• Literature Scope and Sequence