Prep Year standard elaborations — Australian Curriculum: English
REVISED DRAFT
The Australian Curriculum achievement standards are an expectation of the depth of understanding, the extent of knowledge and the sophistication of
skills that students should typically demonstrate at the end of a teaching and learning year. In Queensland, the Prep Year Australian Curriculum
achievement standard represents a child who is Working with (WW) the curriculum, demonstrating understanding of the required knowledge and
applying skills in situations familiar to them.
Prep1 Year Australian Curriculum: English achievement standard
Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)
By the end of the Foundation year, students use predicting and questioning strategies to make meaning from texts. They recall one or two events from texts with
familiar topics. They understand that there are different types of texts and that these can have similar characteristics. They identify connections between texts and
their personal experience. They read short, predictable texts with familiar vocabulary and supportive images, drawing on their developing knowledge of concepts
about print and sound and letters. They identify the letters of the English alphabet and use the sounds represented by most letters. They listen to and use
appropriate language features to respond to others in a familiar environment. They listen for rhyme, letter patterns and sounds in words.
Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)
Students understand that their texts can reflect their own experiences. They identify and describe likes and dislikes about familiar texts, objects, characters and
events. In informal group and whole class settings, students communicate clearly. They retell events and experiences with peers and known adults.
They identify and use rhyme, letter patterns and sounds in words. When writing, students use familiar words and phrases and images to convey ideas. Their writing
shows evidence of sound and letter knowledge, beginning writing behaviours and experimentation with capital letters and full stops. They correctly form known
upper- and lower-case letters.
Source: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), Australian Curriculum v6.0 English for Foundation–10, www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/Curriculum/F-10
The standards elaborations (SEs) should be used in conjunction with the Australian Curriculum achievement standard and content descriptions for the
relevant year level. They provide additional clarity about using the Australian Curriculum achievement standard to make judgments on a five-point scale.
The SEs for English have been developed using the Australian Curriculum content descriptions and the achievement standard.
They promote and support:
 aligning curriculum, assessment and reporting, connecting curriculum and evidence in assessment, so that what is assessed relates directly to what
students have had the opportunity to learn
 continuing skill development from one year of schooling to another
 making judgments on a five-point scale based on evidence of learning in a folio of student work
 planning an assessment program and individual assessments
 developing task-specific standards and grading guides.
1
14210
Prep in Queensland is the Foundation Year of the Australian Curriculum and refers to the year before Year 1. Children beginning Prep in January are required to be five years
of age by 30 June.
Prep Year English standard elaborations
Applying
(AP)
Making connections
(MC)
REVISED DRAFT
Working with
(WW)
Exploring
(EX)
Becoming aware
(BA)
Ideas and information in texts
Types of
texts
Receptive modes
Evidence of listening, reading and viewing
Understanding and skills dimensions
The folio of a child’s work has the following characteristics:
Clear use of developing
knowledge of concepts
about print; sounds and
letters; images;
predicting and
questioning strategies to
make meaning from
short, predictable
familiar texts and some
unfamiliar texts
Effective use of
developing knowledge of
concepts about print;
sounds and letters;
images; predicting and
questioning strategies to
make meaning from short,
predictable familiar texts
Use of developing
knowledge of concepts
about print; sounds and
letters; images;
predicting and
questioning strategies to
make meaning from
short, predictable
familiar texts
Guided use of
developing knowledge of
concepts about print;
sounds and letters; and
images to make meaning
from short, predictable
familiar texts
Directed use of support
resources to make
meaning from short,
predictable familiar texts
Clear retelling of events
from texts with familiar
and some unfamiliar
topics, identifying
connections to own
experience
Effective retelling of
events from texts with
familiar topics, identifying
connections to own
experience
Retelling of events from
texts with familiar topics,
identifying connections
to own experience
Guided identification of
events from familiar texts
and connections to own
experience
Directed identification of
events from familiar texts
and connections to own
experience
Clear description of the
purposes of different
types of texts
Description of the
purposes of different
types of texts
Identification of the
purposes of different
types of texts
Guided identification of
the common
characteristics of
different types of texts
Directed identification of
the common
characteristics of
different types of text
Prep Year standard elaborations — Australian Curriculum: English
REVISED DRAFT
Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority
July 2014
Page 2 of 6
Language and textual features,
including oral language, and listening
Receptive modes
Evidence of listening, reading and viewing
Understanding and skills dimensions
Clear and effective
identification of rhyme,
letter patterns, sounds in
words and letters of the
alphabet, using the
sounds represented by
most letters
Effective identification of
rhyme, letter patterns,
sounds in words and
letters of the alphabet,
using the sounds
represented by most
letters
Identification of rhyme,
letter patterns, sounds in
words and letters of the
alphabet, using the
sounds represented by
most letters
Guided identification of
rhyme, letter patterns,
sounds in familiar words
and letters of the
alphabet, using the
sounds represented by
some letters
Directed responses
about rhyme, letter
patterns and sounds and
letters of the alphabet in
familiar words and texts
Clear use of appropriate
language features to
listen and respond to
others in familiar
situations
Effective use of
appropriate language
features to listen and
respond to others in
familiar situations
Use of appropriate
language features to
listen and respond to
others in familiar
situations
Guided use of
appropriate language
features to listen and
respond to others in
familiar situations
Directed use of
appropriate language
features to listen and
respond to others in
familiar situations
Prep Year standard elaborations — Australian Curriculum: English
REVISED DRAFT
Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority
July 2014
Page 3 of 6
Applying
(AP)
Making connections
(MC)
Working with
(WW)
Exploring
(EX)
Becoming aware
(BA)
Ideas and information in texts
Language and textual features
Productive modes
Evidence of speaking, writing and creating
Understanding and skills dimensions
The folio of a child’s work has the following characteristics:
Clear identification and
description of likes and
dislikes about objects,
characters and events in
texts, relating the
response to personal
experience
Effective identification and
description of likes and
dislikes about objects,
characters and events in
texts, relating the
response to a personal
experience
Identification and
description of likes and
dislikes about objects,
characters and events in
texts with statements of
personal experience
Guided identification of
likes and dislikes about
objects, characters and
events in texts
Directed response about
likes and dislikes about
familiar texts
Clear retelling of events
and personal
experiences in familiar
and some unfamiliar
situations
Effective retelling of
events and personal
experiences in familiar
situations
Retelling of events and
personal experiences in
familiar situations
Guided retelling of
aspects of events and
personal experiences in
familiar situations
Directed retelling of
events and personal
experiences in familiar
situations
Clear identification and
use of rhyme, letter
patterns and sounds in
familiar and some
unfamiliar words and
texts
Effective identification and
use of rhyme, letter
patterns and sounds in
familiar words and texts
Identification and use of
rhyme, letter patterns
and sounds in familiar
words and texts
Guided use of rhyme,
letter patterns and
sounds in familiar words
and texts
Directed use of rhyme,
letter patterns and
sounds in familiar words
and texts
Clear use of words,
phrases and images to
convey ideas in own
texts and to
communicate clearly in
informal group and whole
class settings
Effective use of words,
phrases and images to
convey ideas in own texts
and to communicate
clearly in informal group
and whole class settings
Use of familiar words,
phrases and images to
convey ideas in own
texts and to
communicate clearly in
informal group and whole
class settings
Guided use of familiar
words, phrases and
images to convey ideas
in own texts and to
communicate in familiar
settings
Directed use of familiar
words and images to
convey ideas in own
texts and to
communicate in familiar
settings
Prep Year standard elaborations — Australian Curriculum: English
REVISED DRAFT
Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority
July 2014
Page 4 of 6
Language and textual features
Productive modes
Evidence of speaking, writing and creating
Understanding and skills dimensions
Clear use of:
 sound and letter
knowledge
 beginning writing
concepts, such as full
stops and capital
letters
Effective use of:
 sound and letter
knowledge
 beginning writing
concepts, such as full
stops and capital letters
Use of:
 sound and letter
knowledge
 beginning writing
concepts, such as full
stops and capital
letters
Demonstration of
growing fluency and use
of:
 sound and letter
knowledge
 beginning writing
concepts
Directed use of:
 sound and letter
knowledge
 beginning writing
concepts
Use of beginning
handwriting with correct
forms of known upperand lower-case letters
Demonstration of
growing fluency and use
of beginning handwriting
Emergent use of
beginning handwriting
Note: Colour highlights have been used in the table to emphasise the qualities that discriminate between the standards.
Key
AP
The child applies the curriculum content and demonstrates a thorough understanding
of the required knowledge. The child demonstrates a high level of skill that can be
transferred to new situations.
EX
The child is exploring the curriculum content and demonstrates understanding of
aspects of the required knowledge. The child uses a varying level of skills in
situations familiar to them.
MC
The child makes connections using the curriculum content and demonstrates a clear
understanding of the required knowledge. The child applies a high level of skill in
situations familiar to them, and is beginning to transfer skills to new situations.
BA
The child is becoming aware of the curriculum content and demonstrates a basic
understanding of aspects of required knowledge. The child is beginning to use skills
in situations familiar to them.
WW
The child can work with the curriculum content and demonstrates understanding of
the required knowledge. The child applies skills in situations familiar to them.
Prep Year standard elaborations — Australian Curriculum: English
REVISED DRAFT
Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority
July 2014
Page 5 of 6
Notes
The SEs describe the qualities of achievement in the two dimensions common to all Australian
Curriculum learning area achievement standards:
 understanding
 skills.
Dimension*
Description
Understanding*
The concepts underpinning and connecting knowledge in a learning area,
related to a student’s ability to appropriately select and apply knowledge
to solve problems in that learning area
Skills*
The specific techniques, strategies and processes in a learning area
The following terms and key words are used in the Prep Year English SEs. They help to clarify
the descriptors and should be used in conjunction with the ACARA Australian Curriculum English
glossary: www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/english/Glossary
*
Term
Description
Appropriate
Fitting, suitable to the context
Aspects
Particular parts or features
Clear; Clarity
Without ambiguity; explicit
Description; Descriptive;
Describe*
Give an account of characteristics or features
Direction; Directed;
Directed use
Following the instructions of the facilitator
Effective
Capably meets the described requirements
Familiar
Situations or materials that have been the focus of prior
learning experiences
Guided
Visual and/or verbal prompts to facilitate or support independent action
Identification; Identify*
Establish or indicate who or what someone or something is
Retell
Restate or recap
Supported; Support
In an Early Years context, support resources are direct and/or continued
scaffolding and scripting , and visual and verbal support from adults and/or
peers
Unfamiliar
Situations or materials that have not been the focus of prior learning
experiences
Use of
To operate or put into effect. In an Early Years context, students
demonstrate listening and interacting through their use of language.
The asterisk (*) denotes dimensions and terms described by ACARA. Unmarked terms are described by QCAA.
Prep Year standard elaborations — Australian Curriculum: English
REVISED DRAFT
Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority
July 2014
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