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Editor's Notes

• #4: The ACARA content is in the NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum English K-10 document verbatim. It is identified by a code (as shown on the slide above).The Australian Curriculum is written in years and NSW works in stages. The NSW Board of Studies got permission to merge some of the Australian Curriculum in to the one content point if the content was almost the same within the two years of a stage.NSW teachers need only use the NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum as it contains all the ACARA content.
• #5: Click to animate – use the time between each animation for discussion.NSW syllabuses will continue to have stage-based outcomes and content.The seven general capabilities and three cross-curriculum priorities of the Australian Curriculum have been embedded in the new content of the NSW syllabuses as 13 Learning across the curriculum areas, as appropriate to individual learning areas. The 13 areas are largely based on those currently in all BOS syllabuses.
• #7: General messages
• #8: Important pages of document.
• #9: This slide shows the mode-specific outcomes in K-6.
• #10: In primary school communicating and shaping meaning is broken down in to incremental steps, which reflects the needs and way in which students learn.In stages 4 and 5 the critical thinking skills are broken in to smaller pieces as students now have the communicative skills to more deeply explore critical thinking in English.
• #11: The Board has attempted to create a stronger sense of a continuum of English learning K-10.The key verbs used at the start of content points seem to suggest the sequential nature of learning.
• #12: The purpose of this diagram is to show “the integrated relationship between objectives, learning outcomes and key processes” in the English syllabus. At the very centre of learning in English K-10 is the concept of making meaning through language. Students make meaning of texts they read, listen to and view; they also make meaning through their own writing, speaking and representing (or creating texts with visual content). “Responding and composing” have been given their own circle as they are the most important processes in English – they cover all the modes of communication. Responding refers to reading, listening and viewing. Composing refers to writing, speaking and representing. The next circle moving outwards shows three other key processes that may be considered to be aspects of responding and composing – indeed, they represent the personal, social and linguistic aspects of responding and composing. The key processes are used as organisers of content throughout the syllabus K-10.The next three circles represent the outcomes and objectives. It may be helpful to check out the ‘values and attitudes’ objectives on page 14 of the syllabus.
• #13: This slide shows that there have been relatively few changes in the objectives for 7-10.
• #15: These processes are key to the study of English.In ES1-S3 within certain outcomesthey change and develop according to the learning needs of the students.
• #16: Typical 7-10 content page. Note the only significant structural difference is that the outcomes in 7-10 are not give descriptors or labels as they are in K-6. One possible reason for not providing descriptors in 7-10 is that the outcomes tend to be more generic and cannot be easily labelled. Another difference between K-6 and 7-10 content pages is that the Life Skills outcomes only relate to 7-10.
• #17: Typical 7-10 content page (continued).
• #18: The overall structure of the syllabus is familiar to secondary English teachers but the content is no longer organised by ‘learn to’ and ‘learn abouts’ and therefore not a an easy and immediate cross-over.
• #19: Discuss photo: have English teachers changed in 46 years? How well do we cope as a profession with big changes, like new syllabuses?
• #20: This is a cross-curriculum priority from the AC, now a learning across the curriculum area in NSW syllabuses.What are the implications for English?
• #21: While our current syllabuses have quite a strong focus on ATSI histories and cultures, the particular concepts mentioned here provide an opportunity for renewed focus.
• #22: ES1 example of the content that is tagged as ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures’ from learning across the curriculum.
• #23: This is the first time that NSW teachers have been required to teach content about the English language – about its evolution through history and its importance in the world today.
• #25: The draft syllabus identifies EAD students as a group, but provides no guidelines on how they should be taught.The ESL scaleshave been developed on the basis of four assumptions:That the acquisition of English is a precondition for successful schooling in Australia for students whose first language is not English.That the English language starting point for ESL learners is different from that of students from English-speaking background. That ESL learners' points of entry to Australian schools differ from those of Australian-born students from English-speaking backgrounds.That ESL students' patterns of development in listening, speaking, reading and writing differ significantly from those of students from English backgrounds.
• #26: Much of the grammar in AC: English is covered in the English K-6 Syllabus, e.g. the Stage 2 content description about subject and verb agreement is actually in Stage 1 in the K-6 syllabus. However, some primary teachers may have difficulties with the teaching of grammar – lack of exposure to grammar in their own schooling and possibly even their teacher training.
• #27: Grammar will definitely be a challenge for most secondary teachers – for all the reasons why it might be problematic for primary teachers, plus there is little explicit reference to the teaching of grammar in the NSW 7-10 syllabus.
• #28: The explicit focus on comprehension strategies provides a strong validation of the approach taken in FoR 3-6. Does the fact that comprehension strategies are still a focus in Stages 4 and 5 strengthen the argument for extending FoR 3-6 into high school?
• #29: The current English K-6 Syllabus includes the requirement to teach literature, but the AC: English content provides more detail about what is required and emphasises that the study of literature, not just the experience of literature, starts from Kindergarten.
• #30: Representing is a term not used in the current English K-6 Syllabus. There are some references to viewing under Reading and to what secondary teachers would call representing under Writing, but this is not a strong feature. The very organisational structure of the current English K-6 Syllabus indicates that viewing and representing are not given as much priority as other modes. Technology has progressed significantly since the English K-6 Syllabus was first written, so it is not surprising that multimodal texts now need to be given greater attention. The focus on representing and viewing, visual and multimodal texts is much stronger in the current 7-10 syllabus, but some secondary teachers may be still lacking confidence in this aspect of English.
• #31: Punctuation is mentioned in the current 7-10 syllabus but not given as much specific attention as this.
• #32: So too with spelling.
• #33: In the past secondary English teachers have assumed that handwriting was taught only in primary school. The AC: English content description for Stage 4 suggests that they share this responsibility.
• #34: What are the conventions for citing? Is there value in standardising this for NSW, or DEC at least? Does citing and referencing differ across subjects?