Victorian Essential Learning Standards Level 1

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ContentsStages o Learning ..................................................................... 3

Years Prep to 4 ............................................................................. 4

Level 1 statement ........................................................................ 6

Physical, Personal and Social Learning ............................... 8

Health and Physical Education .................................... 10

Interpersonal Development ......................................... 15

Personal Learning ............................................................ 19

Civics and Citizenship .................................................... 22

Discipline-based Learning ...................................................... 26

The Arts ................................................................................ 27

English .................................................................................. 32

The Humanities ................................................................. 38Languages Other Than English .................................. 42

LOTE Pathway 1 ..................................................... 46

Mathematics ...................................................................... 50

Science ......................................................... 58

Interdisciplinary Learning ...................................................... 63

Communication ............................................................... 64

Design, Creativity and Technology ........................... 67

In ormation and Communications

Technology ................................................... 72

Thinking Processes ........................................ 77

Glossary ........................................................................................ 80


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4 REVISED EDITION FEBRUARY 2008 Victorian Essential Learning Standards VCAA 2008

Years Prep to 4The Victorian Essential Learning Standards include standards at six levels. Thelevels broadly associated with schooling rom Years Prep to 4 are as ollows:

Level 1 Preparatory Year

Level 2 Years 1 and 2

Level Years and 4.

Beginning school is a major upheaval in childrens lives, especially those whohave spent the majority o their lives at home. The oundation knowledge,skills and behaviours that children must develop in Levels 1 and 2 to becomesuccess ul learners at school are:

English ( Reading, Writing, Speaking and listening ) Mathematics The Arts ( Creating and making ) Interpersonal Development (with an emphasis on socialisation) Health and Physical Education ( Movement and physical activity ).

Without the knowledge, behaviours and skills that are learned in thesedomains, children will be restricted in their capacity to succeed in the other domains as they progress through schooling. At Level students beginto respond to in ormation, ideas and belie s rom contexts beyond their immediate experience. Consistent with this development, additional standardsacross a range o domains in the three strands are introduced.

Domains without standards in Levels 1, 2 and are nevertheless importantareas o learning or children. Teachers are encouraged to provide experiences

or children in each o these areas, either by teaching relevant subject matter independently or by integrating it with those domains that have measurementstandards.

The rst challenge at school is or children to socialise and to become engagedbehaviourally, emotionally and cognitively. Engagement is a state that remainscritical to success throughout schooling. Engagement moves rom a minimallevel o engagement where children con orm, motivated by extrinsic demands,to a higher level o behavioural engagement where their motivation is moreintrinsic. The latter includes resilient behaviour that is the capacity to overcomestress and adversity. Resilient children achieve more highly at school and better manage the ups and downs in li e. Schools play a signi cant role in helpingchildren to develop resilience.


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Victorian Essential Learning Standards VCAA 2008 REVISED EDITION FEBRUARY 2008 5

Being socially engaged is also critical to the development o cognitive skills.

Children build their ability to reason rom a context or environment. Theenvironment provides the practices, assumptions and values upon whichreasoning is constructed. It ollows that i children ail to socialise in a waywhere they understand the norms and values o a classroom, they will havedi culty understanding the reasoning that fows rom those norms and values,and they will be subsequently hindered in their capacity to trans er that skill tomore ormal applications.

While behaviour is signi cantly determined by habits, it is also sometimesreactive, being infuenced by emotional states and cognitive processes.Emotional engagement may be de ned in terms o general wellbeing at

school; or example, happiness, sa ety, calmness and empowerment, asopposed to sadness, worry, helplessness and stress. A key emotional skill thatshould be developed early and maintained throughout schooling is impulsecontrol. Teachers can help children to develop impulse control by teachingthem to recognise the eelings in themselves and others, by implementingbehaviour management approaches that encourage children to regulateemotions, and by helping children to refect on their behaviours.

Another key theme is that knowledge is constructed. We build our brainsthrough experience, both real and perceived. Learning is cumulative, andconsequently, the ability to trans er learning is a key skill. Children begin

schooling with knowledge and skills. Much o this will be true and accurate,but some o it will not, even though it is believed to be true. One o the

undamental skills success ul learners must develop is to refect on learning,to link new knowledge to existing knowledge, to establish what is trueand accurate, important and use ul, and to challenge what is untrue andinaccurate. Giving children opportunities to be refective improves the qualityo learning, since learning with understanding is more likely to promotetrans er than memory.


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Level 1 statementIn the Victorian Essential Learning Standards Level 1 is broadly associated withthe Preparatory Year o schooling.

Learners in their rst year o schooling begin to develop social skills such asunderstanding classroom behaviour and making connections between schooland home. Through curiosity and encouragement they take an interest inlearning, begin to learn basic literacy and numeracy skills and develop somesimple technical and coordination skills.

Key characteristics o students at this level include:

building a sense o belonging

understanding classroom values and practices

making connections between school and home

building positive behaviours

engaging behaviourally, emotionally and cognitively

developing curiosity and intrinsic motivation

expressing ideas and eelings through a variety o artistic orms

mastering technical skills

developing physical capacities and an awareness o their own health needs.

Students have a sense o belonging and socialise in a way where theyunderstand and accept the values and practices o the classroom, contributingto the development o positive social relationships in a range o contexts(Interpersonal Development). This process is aided when students eel sociallyand emotionally secure and are supported by their peers, teachers and amily.

As students develop a sense o belonging they will be more likely to ollow

the rules, participate in activities and appreciate opportunities, take turns andconsider the eelings o others, ocus their attention or extended periods, nd satis action and enjoyment in learning, and have enough trust to takerisks such as asking and answering questions, per orming in ront o groupsand creating novel ideas during activities. This behaviour is supported by thedevelopment o simple organisational and listening skills, and a capacity to

ollow instructions.

Students will spend signi cant time mastering technical competence bydiscovering how, and or what purpose, objects and systems work, andby practising tasks that include the orming o letters and numbers. They

recognise how sounds are represented alphabetically and identi y somesoundletter relationships (English: Reading ), and count the size o small


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Victorian Essential Learning Standards VCAA 2008 REVISED EDITION FEBRUARY 2008

sets using the numbers 0 to 20 (Mathematics: Number ). They also begin to

develop the skills o keyboarding and navigating computer systems, drawing,measuring quantities and constructing models.

Students respond to novelty and this curiosity is the basis or asking questionsand developing explanations or events. They make works o art thatexpress and communicate ideas and eelings about themselves and their world, exploring and using a variety o arts elements (on their own or incombination), skills, techniques and processes, media, materials, equipmentand technologies in a range o arts orms (The Arts: Creating and making ). Attimes they become deeply ocused and will demonstrate the capacity to avoiddistraction. They are introduced to concepts like time, space, sa ety, eelings,

location and beauty by using their personal experience, texts and their environment as a starting point or learning.

With support rom their teachers, students test ideas and belie s, identi yinaccuracies and make adjustments to improve. They learn about basicpatterns by identi ying similarities and di erences, sorting and sequencing.They learn about processes by knowing how to organise their resources andtime, by understanding rules and consequences, by making comparisons, andby discussing thoughts and ideas, as well as o ering explanations.

They enrich their imaginations by playing games, making links betweentheir own experiences and the ideas in texts, by discovering di erence, byinterpreting and appreciating the work o others, by exploring their senses,and by sharing and participating in group projects. They also engage in avariety o physical activities and gain an appreciation o basic health needs,including the per ormance o basic motor skills and movement patterns,with or without equipment, in a range o environments (Health and PhysicalEducation: Movement and physical activity ).


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Physical, Personal and Social Learning A curriculum designed to equip students or the challenging world o thetwenty- rst century needs to ensure that students develop as people whotake increasing responsibility or their own physical wellbeing, learning,relationships with others and their role in the local, national and globalcommunity.

Within the Physical, Personal and Social Learning strand the learning domainsare:

Health and Physical Education A healthy, physically active li estyle is conducive to more e ective participationin all that society has to o er and greater levels o success within and beyondschool. This requires students to develop the knowledge, skills and behavioursthat enable them to:

maintain good health and live a healthy li estyle

understand the role o physical activity in ensuring good health

engage in physical activity.

Interpersonal DevelopmentIn our highly interconnected and interdependent world, students must learn towork with others by:

building positive social relationships

working and learning in teams

managing and resolving conficts.

Personal Learning As students progress through school they need to be encouraged andsupported to take greater responsibility or their own learning and participationat school. This involves developing as individual learners who:

acquire sel knowledge and dispositions which support learning can learn with peers, including by seeking and responding appropriately to

eedback

increasingly manage their own learning and growth including by settinggoals and managing resources to achieve these

recognise and enact appropriate values within and beyond the schoolcontext.


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1Civics and CitizenshipStudents need to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours that enablethem to take action as in ormed, con dent members o a diverse and inclusive

Australian society. They need to understand the political and legal systemsand processes and the history that underpins them. This involves a ocus onstudents:

understanding their identity and roles in their community

knowing their rights and responsibilities as citizens

appreciating Australias role in the global community

having the knowledge, skills and behaviours to participate in society andtake responsible action in relation to other citizens and the environment at alocal and broader level.


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Health and Physical EducationIntroduction

The domain o Health and Physical Education provides students withknowledge, skills and behaviours to enable them to achieve a degree o autonomy in developing and maintaining their physical, mental, social andemotional health. This domain ocuses on the importance o a healthy li estyleand physical activity in the lives o individuals and groups in our society.

This domain is unique in having the potential to impact on the physical, social,emotional and mental health o students. It promotes the potential or li elongparticipation in physical activity through the development o motor skills andmovement competence, health-related physical tness and sport education.

Engaging in physical activity, games, sport and outdoor recreation contributesto a sense o community and social connectedness. These are vital componentso improved wellbeing.

Students involvement in physical activity can take many orms, ranging rom individual, non-competitive activity through to competitive teamgames. Emphasis is placed on combining motor skills and tactical knowledgeto improve individual and team per ormance. Students progress rom the

development o basic motor skills to the per ormance o complex movementpatterns that orm part o team games. They learn how developing physicalcapacity in areas such as strength, fexibility and endurance is related to both

tness and physical per ormance.

Students progress rom learning simple rules and procedures to enable themto participate in movement and physical activity sa ely, to using equipmentsa ely and con dently. Students undertake a variety o roles when participatingin sports such as umpire, coach, player and administrator and assumeresponsibility or the organisation o aspects o a sporting competition.

This domain explores the developmental changes that occur throughout thehuman li espan. It begins by identi ying the health needs necessary to promoteand maintain growth and development, ollowed by discussion o signi canttransitions across the li espan including puberty, to gaining an understandingo human sexuality and actors that infuence its expression. The explorationo human development also includes a ocus on the establishment o personalidentity, actors that shape identity and the validity o stereotypes.

Students develop an understanding o the right to be sa e and explore theconcepts o challenge, risk and sa ety. They identi y the harms associated withparticular situations and behaviours and how to take action to minimise these

harms.


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Through the provision o health knowledge, this domain develops an

understanding o the importance o personal and community actions inpromoting health and knowledge about the actors that promote andprotect the physical, social, mental and emotional health o individuals,

amilies and communities. Students investigate issues ranging rom individualli estyle choices to provision o health services by both government andnon-government bodies. In investigating these issues, they explore di eringperspectives and develop in ormed positions.

This domain examines the role o ood in meeting dietary needs and the actors that infuence ood choice. Students progress rom learning about theimportance o eating a variety o oods to understanding the role o a healthy

diet in the prevention o disease.The Health and Physical Education domain provides students with theknowledge, skills and behaviours necessary or the pursuit o li elonginvolvement in physical activity, health and wellbeing.

Structure of the domainThe Health and Physical Education domain is organised into six sections, one

or each level o achievement rom Level 1 to Level 6. Each level includes alearning ocus statement and a set o standards organised by dimension.

Learning focusLearning ocus statements are written or each level. These outline the learningthat students need to ocus on i they are to progress in the domain andachieve the standards at the levels where they apply. They suggest appropriatelearning experiences rom which teachers can draw to develop relevantteaching and learning activities.

StandardsStandards de ne what students should know and be able to do at di erentlevels and are written or each dimension. In Health and Physical Education,standards or assessing and reporting on student achievement apply romLevel 1.

DimensionsStandards in the Health and Physical Education domain are organised in twodimensions.

Movement and physical activity rom Level 1

Health knowledge and promotion rom Level .


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Movement and physical activity

The Movement and physical activity dimension ocuses on the importantrole that physical activity, sport and recreation need to play in the lives o all Australians by providing opportunities or challenge, personal growth,enjoyment and tness. It promotes involvement in a manner that refectsawareness that everyone has the right to participate in a healthy and activeli estyle. It develops students con dence in using movement skills andstrategies to increase their motivation to become active as well as improve their per ormance and maintain a level o tness that allows them to participate inphysical activity without undue atigue. It builds understanding o how trainingand exercise in areas such as strength, fexibility and endurance relate to

physical per ormance.Health knowledge and promotion

The Health knowledge and promotion dimension examines physical, social,emotional and mental health and personal development across various stageso the li espan. It ocuses on sa ety and the identi cation o strategies tominimise harms associated with particular situations or behaviours. Studentsexamine the promotion o health o individuals and the community throughthe use o speci c strategies and the provision o health resources, services andproducts. They examine the actors that infuence ood selection and the roleo nutrition on health growth and development.

Level 1Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement o Level 1 standards in theMovement and physical activity dimension, they engage in a variety o physicalactivities on their own and with their peers, with and without equipment,and in a range o environments (indoor, outdoor and aquatic). They beginto develop basic motor skills such as running, hopping, jumping, skipping,catching, throwing, kicking, rolling, balancing, twisting and turning.Through a range o activities, such as dance, gymnastics and games, studentsprogressively gain control o their movements in personal and general space,while stationary and moving. They practise a range o movement patterns inaquatic environments such as: wade-in entry to and exit rom shallow water;

foat with a buoyancy aid; per orm a basic leg kicking action with a buoyancyaid; recovery rom an unaided ace down foat; glide to a standing position;and be rescued with a rope or stick. They explore ways o moving anddeveloping control when stopping, starting, springing, landing, and changingdirection and speed. They respond to movement stimuli such as rhythm, beat,

music and words.


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They regularly engage in activities described as moderate to vigorous, such

as brisk walking or running, active play, swimming, dance, sports and games,which increase student breathing and sweating.

Students begin to develop a movement vocabulary, including movementwords, ways o describing the physical responses o their bodies to movementand the eelings associated with participation in physical activity; or example,hot , tired , sweaty , pu ed , excited , scared and happy .

They learn simple rules and procedures or sa e movement, and how to ollowinstructions. They begin to combine movement with the use o equipment.

While participating in movement and physical activities, they learn to consider,support and encourage others to share equipment, and to adhere to rules thataid participation and cooperation.

As students work towards the achievement o Level standards in the Healthknowledge and promotion dimension, they explore basic health needs thatmust be met to maintain or promote their health and to help them grow anddevelop. They discuss physical changes as people grow and develop, anddescribe how their own bodies have changed over time. Students exploretheir emotions and identi y the di erent ways in which people express andrespond to emotions. Students start identi ying new things they can do andthe responsibilities associated with these. They begin to learn about thedevelopment o personal identity.

Students learn to identi y those environments where they eel con dent andthose where they may be a raid or concerned or their sa ety. They practisehow to respond to situations that make them eel unsa e, and learn about whocan help them. They learn about local signs and symbols related to sa ety ( or example, tra c signs or symbols on medicines) and explore possible actions totake when they eel threatened or unsa e.

Students are introduced to the basic principles o living an active and healthyli e and begin to learn about the importance o eating a variety o oods.They learn about how oods di er in look, taste, eel and smell, and begin to

understand how good ood choices contribute to an active and healthy li e.


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StandardsMovement and physical activity

At Level 1, students per orm basic motor skills and movement patterns, withor without equipment, in a range o environments. They regularly engage inperiods o moderate to vigorous physical activity. They use simple vocabularyto describe movement, the physical responses o their bodies to activity andtheir eelings about participation in physical activity. When participating inmovement and physical activities, they ollow rules and procedures and shareequipment and space sa ely.

In Health and Physical Education, standards or the Health knowledge and

promotion dimension are introduced at Level .


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Interpersonal DevelopmentIntroduction

Learning in the Interpersonal Development domain supports students toinitiate, maintain and manage positive social relationships with a range o people in a range o contexts. It is through the development o positive socialrelationships that individuals become linked to society, develop a sense o belonging and learn to live and work with others. In a pluralistic, multiculturalsociety such as Australia, with varying interests, values and belie s, it is essentialthat individuals learn to participate in groups whose members are rom

diverse backgrounds. In this domain there is a particular ocus on developingstudents capacity to work cooperatively as part o a team as this is widelyacknowledged as being a core requirement or success in the workplace and inthe community.

Building e ective social relationships and relating well to others requiresindividuals to be empathetic, and to be able to deal e ectively with their ownemotions and inner moods. It also requires them to be aware o the socialconventions and responsibilities that underpin the ormation o e ectiverelationships. All social relationships have the potential to create confict.Students need to develop the skills and strategies to manage and resolve

confict in a sensible, air and e ective manner and not see it as something toavoid or eliminate.

Working cooperatively as part o a team requires the skills outlined above. Inaddition, it requires individuals to be able to balance commitment to the groupand its norms with their own needs. This requires competence in presentingtheir own ideas and listening to those o others, approaching topics romdi erent viewpoints, and understanding their speci c role and responsibilitiesin relation to those o others and the overall team goal.

Relationships with peers and adults at the school provide students withopportunities or refection and growth. Adults at the school can rein orce thislearning by providing positive role models. Interactions should be positive, air,respect ul and riendly and be supported by a classroom culture which is open,honest and accepting.

The Interpersonal Development domain provides students with learningopportunities and experiences that will support their learning across thecurriculum, particularly in relation to working in teams where collaborationand cooperation, sharing resources and completing agreed tasks on timeare highlighted. Learning related to building social relationships encouragesstudents to maintain positive learning environments across their learningprograms.


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Structure of the domainThe Interpersonal Development domain is organised into six sections, one

or each level o achievement rom Level 1 to Level 6. Each level includes alearning ocus statement and, where applicable, a set o standards organisedby dimension.


StandardsStandards de ne what students should know and be able to do at di erentlevels and are written or each dimension. In Interpersonal Development,standards or assessing and reporting on student achievement apply romLevel 1, although at this level they are not organised by dimension.

DimensionsStandards in the Interpersonal Development domain are organised in twodimensions:

Building social relationships

Working in teams.

Building social relationships

Learning in the Building social relationships dimension supports students toinitiate, maintain and manage positive social relationships with a diverse rangeo people in a range o contexts. Students learn about and practise the socialconventions which underpin relationships and learn how to act in sociallyresponsible ways. Strategies or understanding, managing and resolvingconfict are also an important ocus.

Working in teams

In the Working in teams dimension students develop the knowledge, skills andbehaviours to cooperate with others to contribute to the achievement o groupgoals. The ocus is not only task achievement, but also on contributing to, andrefecting on, the learning which occurs through being part o a team.


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National Statements of Learning

The Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) incorporate the opportunitiesto learn covered in the national Statements o Learning (www.curriculum.edu.au/mceetya/the_statements_o _learning,1189 .html). The Statements o Learning describe essential skills, knowledge, understandings and capacitiesthat all young Australians should have the opportunity to learn by the end o

Years , 5, and 9 in English, Mathematics, Science, Civics and Citizenship andIn ormation and Communication Technologies (ICT).

The Statements o Learning were developed as a means o achieving greater national consistency in curriculum outcomes across the eight Australianstates and territories. It was proposed that they be used by state and territorydepartments or curriculum authorities (their primary audience) to guide the

uture development o relevant curriculum documents. They were agreed to byall states and territories in August 2006.

During 200 , the VCAA prepared a detailed map to show how the Statementso Learning are addressed and incorporated in the VELS. In the majority o cases, the VELS learning ocus statements incorporate the Statements o Learning. Some Statements o Learning are covered in more than one domain.In some cases, VELS learning ocus statements have been elaborated toaddress elements o the Statements o Learning not previously speci ed. Theseelaborations are noted at the end o each learning ocus statement.
http://www.curriculum.edu.au/mceetya/the_statements_of_learning,11893.htmlhttp://www.curriculum.edu.au/mceetya/the_statements_of_learning,11893.html


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Level 1Learning focus As students work towards the achievement o Level 1 standards inInterpersonal Development, they interact with their peers, teachers and other adults in a range o contexts. They learn to play constructively together andare encouraged to develop riendships with peers.

Students learn to manage their impulses by developing habits and routinesthat help them to be a cooperative class member. They develop a vocabularyto describe the emotions they experience when interacting with others.

With teacher support, students begin to identi y and develop the skillsrequired to work together in a group, including taking turns, and sharing andcaring or equipment and resources. Through supported refection on their own experiences o working with a partner, in small-group and whole-classsituations, students share their thoughts on group collaboration and learnto describe and practise skills that contribute to the ormation o positiverelationships, and explain why these skills are desirable.

While playing games and participating in classroom activities, students practiselistening to others and recording or retelling what others have said. With

teacher support, they practise using these skills with their peers in a variety o contexts and begin to identi y when it would be use ul to apply these skills inother situations.

Students are supported to develop appropriate language to explain whathappens and how they eel when experiencing confict and/or bullying. Theybegin to understand how their actions a ect others. Students learn that somepeople have special needs and to respect the rights, eelings and e orts o others.

Standards At this level standards are not organised by dimensions.

Interpersonal Development

At Level 1, students identi y the qualities o a riend and demonstrate care or other students. They contribute to the development o positive socialrelationships in a range o contexts. They use appropriate language and actionswhen dealing with confict. Students describe basic skills required to workcooperatively in groups.


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Personal LearningIntroduction

Learners are most success ul when they are mind ul o themselves as learnersand thinkers within a learning community. The Personal Learning domain

ocuses on providing students with the knowledge, skills and behaviours to besuccess ul, positive learners both at school and throughout their lives. They aresupported to develop the con dence and ability to be adaptive and take anactive role in shaping their own utures in a world o constant change.

Students can learn many things by will and e ort, particularly i they see thatthe learning is relevant; however, the learning o students is enhanced whenthey are supported to develop intentional strategies that promote learning.They need to understand what it means to learn, who they are as learners andhow emotions a ect learning. They also need to develop skills in planning,monitoring and revising their work, and refecting on and modi ying their learning practices.

Consequently, as students progress through school they need to beencouraged and supported to take greater responsibility or their own learning,their participation in learning activities and the quality o their learningoutcomes. They need to develop a sense o themselves as learners and developthe knowledge and skills to manage their own learning and emotions. As theydo this, they move rom being supported learners to autonomous learners.

Students learn to seek and use eedback rom their teachers to develop their content knowledge and understanding. They also learn to seek and use

eedback rom their peers and draw on other members o the communitywho may provide eedback, knowledge and advice about skills that supporttheir learning. They need to develop the capacity to refect on their learning insystematic ways.

This domain supports the development o autonomous learners, with a positive

sense o themselves as learners, by providing all learners with the knowledge,skills and behaviours to:

develop an understanding o their strengths and potential

seek and respond appropriately to eedback rom their teachers, peers andother members o the community

develop skills o goal setting and time and resource management

increasingly manage their own learning and growth by monitoring their learning, and setting and refecting on their learning goals

learn to understand and to manage their own emotions


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develop resilience and dispositions which support learning

recognise and enact learning principles within and beyond the school

prepare or li elong learning.

The achievement o these outcomes requires the creation o a school andclassroom culture where all students are respected and valued as individualswith the capacity to learn and think, and where sel -regulated e ort in learningis promoted.

Structure of the domainThe Personal Learning domain is organised into six sections, one or each levelo achievement rom Level 1 to Level 6. Each level includes a learning ocusstatement and, rom Level , a set o standards organised by dimension.


StandardsStandards de ne what students should know and be able to do at di erentlevels and are written or each dimension. In Personal Learning, standards or assessing and reporting on student achievement apply rom Level .

DimensionsStandards in the Personal Learning domain are organised in two dimensions:

The individual learner

Managing personal learning.

The individual learner

The individual learner dimension ocuses on students developing knowledgeabout their personal characteristics and capabilities, and those they needto develop to support their approaches to and refections about learning.Students explore and practise skills and behaviours which support learning.They develop the capacity to monitor their own learning, identi ying learningstrengths and areas requiring improvement. They seek and use teacher

eedback to develop their content knowledge and understanding. They explorethe ways in which personal values a ect learning and recognise the needto develop ethical rameworks or operating airly within the classroom andrecognising and respecting individual di erences o class members. Students


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recognise their learning pre erences and needs and respect that these may

di er rom those o others. They develop con dence in making in ormeddecisions about their learning.

Managing personal learning

The Managing personal learning dimension ocuses on the knowledge, skills andbehaviours required to enable success ul management o personal learning.Students develop skills in goal setting and time and resource managementand ocus on task achievement. They increasingly develop the skills to workindependently, becoming autonomous learners. Students develop strategies tomanage their emotions and develop positive attitudes towards learning.


As students work towards the achievement o Level standards in PersonalLearning, they experience diverse approaches and responses to learning. Withteacher support, they make links with their existing experiences and developthe view that learning is exploratory, un and rewarding.

Students begin to refect on themselves as learners, in particular on their eelings about learning, by responding to open-ended statements such as Improud o this because , and using visual aids that illustrate their responsesto learning, such as happy and unhappy aces. They also refect on their ownlearning by responding to prompts such as, What do you know now that youdidnt know be ore?

Students are provided with opportunities to learn with peers and to share their eelings and thoughts about learning with others. They begin to understandthat listening to the responses o others can assist them to make sense o new experiences and provide use ul cues or their own learning. Students areencouraged to take risks with their learning and begin to understand thatmistakes can be a vehicle or urther learning.

Students begin to take initiative as learners by asking questions when neededand attempting small projects. They begin to solve problems and completework using their initiative as a rst step and asking or teacher assistance asrequired. With support, students learn to manage their time and resources tocomplete short tasks.

StandardsIn Personal Learning, standards or assessing and reporting on student

achievement are introduced at Level . The learning ocus statements or Levels 1 and 2 provide advice about learning experiences that will assiststudents to work towards the achievement o the standards at Level .


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Civics and CitizenshipIntroduction

The Civics and Citizenship domain provides students with knowledge, skillsand opportunities to understand and practise what it means to be a citizenin a democracy. Citizens require knowledge and understanding o civicinstitutions and the skills and willingness to actively participate in society.They need knowledge o political and legal systems and processes and thehistory that underpins them in order to achieve civic understanding. Theyneed to understand their rights and responsibilities as citizens, and democratic

values and principles such as democratic decision making, representative andaccountable government, reedom o speech, equality be ore the law, socialjustice and equality. This domain acilitates the practice o citizenship skills, theexploration and development o values and dispositions to support citizenshipand the empowerment o in ormed decision making. Teaching o civicsengages students in active interaction with the community.

In a world where people, environments, economics and politics are inextricablylinked, and where dislocation and change is accelerating, a strong sense o personal identity developed through participation in communities is a soundbasis rom which to connect with the world. Civics and Citizenship education

strengthens understanding and valuing o the sel . It teaches why citizensneed a sense o personal identity within their own community and how theycan contribute to local, national and global communities. Through Civics andCitizenship students develop an appreciation or the uniqueness and diversityo Australias multicultural society and the e orts o individuals and groupsto achieve political rights and equality. They value what it means to be an

Australian and explore Australias role in the global community. They consider human rights and social justice issues at local, national and global levels.

In Civics and Citizenship students investigate how, in a democratic tradition,in ormed and diverse contributions and participation by citizens are important.

They learn about, contest and enact the values that are important to be anengaged citizen within a community. They are provided with opportunitiesto investigate and participate in activities that support sustainable practices,social justice and underpin the uture wellbeing o societies rom a local to aglobal level. Civics and Citizenship provides a vehicle or students to challengetheir own and others views about Australian society and to ormally participatein and practise activities and behaviours which involve democratic decisionmaking.


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Structure of the domainThe Civics and Citizenship domain is organised into six sections, one or eachlevel o achievement rom Level 1 to Level 6. Each level includes a learning

ocus statement and, rom Level , a set o standards organised by dimension.


StandardsStandards de ne what students should know and be able to do at di erentlevels and are written or each dimension. In Civics and Citizenship, standards

or assessing and reporting on student achievement apply rom Level .

DimensionsStandards in the Civics and Citizenship domain are organised in twodimensions:

Civic knowledge and understanding

Community engagement.

Civic knowledge and understanding

The Civic knowledge and understanding dimension ocuses on the principlesand practices that underpin civic institutions and civic li e in communities andsocieties. Students explore concepts o democracy and the key eatures o

Australian and other democracies. They develop knowledge and understandingo the origins and key eatures o the Australian political, government andlegal systems. They develop understanding o the origins, uniqueness anddiversity o Australias multicultural society. They learn about the principles andvalues which underpin Australian democracy, such as equality be ore the law,

reedom o speech, democratic representation, accountability o government,social justice and respect or others. They explore the elements o sustainabilityin local, national and global contexts. They learn about the contributiondemocracy has made to Australias history and national identity and Australiasplace in the world.


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Community engagement

The Community engagement dimension ocuses on the development o skillsand behaviours students need to interact with the community and to engagewith organisations and groups. Students participate in processes associatedwith citizenship such as decision making, voting and leadership, using their knowledge o rules and laws o governance, and concepts such as humanrights and social justice. They think critically about their own values, rightsand responsibilities and those o organisations and groups across a range o settings, and explore the diversity in society.

Students explore and consider di erent perspectives and articulate and justi ytheir own opinions on local, national and global issues. They re ne their ownopinions, values and allegiances. They apply their knowledge and skills in arange o community-based activities.



Years , 5, and 9 in English, Mathematics, Science, Civics and Citizenship and

In ormation and Communication Technologies (ICT).The Statements o Learning were developed as a means o achieving greater national consistency in curriculum outcomes across the eight Australianstates and territories. It was proposed that they be used by state and territorydepartments or curriculum authorities (their primary audience) to guide the


During 200 , the VCAA prepared a detailed map to show how the Statementso Learning are addressed and incorporated in the VELS. In the majority o cases, the VELS learning ocus statements incorporate the Statements o Learning. Some Statements o Learning are covered in more than one domain.In some cases, VELS learning ocus statements have been elaborated toaddress elements o the Statements o Learning not previously speci ed. Theseelaborations are noted at the end o each learning ocus statement.


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Level 1Learning focus As students work towards the achievement o Level standards in Civicsand Citizenship, they begin to develop a sense o belonging to the schoolcommunity. They are introduced to the idea o the classroom being acommunity and they learn about respect and concern or others and being

air. They learn about classroom rules and why they are needed. They begin tocompare classroom and amily rules and other rules that they know about suchas those or games and sport. Students explore their responsibilities and rights

and those o others in amiliar contexts such as the amily, the classroom, theschool playground and local recreation areas.

Students learn about and celebrate special cultural, local, community andnational days; or example, school sporting events and Clean Up Australia Day.They engage in school and cultural events in a responsible and active way.

StandardsIn Civics and Citizenship, standards or assessing and reporting on studentachievement are introduced at Level . The learning ocus statements or Levels 1 and 2 provide advice about learning experiences that will assist

students to work towards the achievement o the standards at Level


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Discipline-based LearningThe domains within the Discipline-based Learning strand orm a body o knowledge with associated ways o seeing the world and distinct methods o exploring, imagining and constructing that world.

Broadly in line with academic literature and consistent with practice in manyschools, the Victorian Essential Learning Standards identi y the Arts, theHumanities, English and Languages Other Than English, Mathematics andScience as the disciplines or the curriculum over the stages o learning romPrep to Year 10.

Within the Discipline-based Learning strand the learning domains are:

The ArtsEnglishThe Humanities EconomicsThe Humanities GeographyThe Humanities HistoryLanguages Other Than English (LOTE)MathematicsScience

Students who develop a deep understanding o the concepts contained in thediscipline-based domains are able to apply their knowledge in many di erentways. The degree to which they are able to trans er their knowledge dependslargely on the degree to which students have achieved mastery over Physical,Personal and Social and Interdisciplinary learning.

Research suggests that students develop deeper understanding o discipline-based concepts when they are encouraged to refect on their learning, takepersonal responsibility or it and relate it to their own world. These approachesare explicitly de ned in the Physical, Personal and Social Learning domainssuch as physical education and personal learning.

Students are better able to develop, demonstrate and use discipline-based knowledge and skills when they are able to employ interdisciplinaryknowledge, skills and behaviours described in the domains o Communication;Design, Creativity and Technology; In ormation and CommunicationsTechnology; and Thinking Processes.


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De nitions o underlined terms are provided in the Glossary (page 80)

The ArtsIntroduction

The Arts are unique, expressive, creative and communicative orms thatengage students in critical and creative thinking and help them understandthemselves and the world. In every society the Arts play a pivotal role socially,economically and culturally. The Arts encourage the development o skillsand the exploration o technologies, orms and processes through single andmultimodal orms. They uel the exploration o ideas that cross the gamuto human emotions and moods through holistic learning using cognitive,

emotional, sensory, aesthetic, kinaesthetic and physical elds.The Arts domain encompasses a diverse and ever-changing range o disciplinesand orms that can be used to structure teaching and learning programs.The domain allows students to create and critically explore visual culture,per ormances in contemporary and traditional genres, and works thatinvolve the usion o traditional orms with digital media. Schools use the artsdisciplines o Art, Dance, Drama, Media, Music and Visual Communication toplan programs. These programs refect the cultural diversity o students andschool communities and the vast growth in in ormation and communicationstechnology that has made arts orms increasingly visible. They recognise the

multicultural world saturated with imagery, sounds and per ormances thatstudents inhabit. Engagement in the Arts involves the inspired and passionateexploration o ideas and the resultant products and per ormances. By their verynature, the Arts nurture cultural understanding, invention, new directions andnew technology. Imagination and creativity, pivotal to the Arts, are essential toour wellbeing because we create much o our world in order to enhance our experiences and understandings o the diverse perspectives that constitute our cultural heritage. For students, interaction through the Arts brings contact withthe Indigenous cultures o Australia and the cultures o our nearest neighbours.

Learning in the Arts allows students to communicate their perceptions,

observations and understanding o structures, unctions and concepts drawn rom other areas o the curriculum. The Arts are a vehicle or con ronting andexploring new ideas. Through learning in the Arts, students prepare or their roles in a post-industrial economy that depends on innovative ideas, creativeuse o technologies and the development o new and blended orms. Artslearning expects ethical conduct in the creating, making, presenting andresponding to arts works; or example, adherence to agreed approaches byindividuals in a collaborative per ormance or acknowledgment o the use o other artists products.


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Learning in the Arts is sequential and students should have continuous

experience in the di erent arts disciplines they undertake at a particular level. At Levels 1, 2 and all students should experience learning in Per orming Arts(Dance, Drama and Music) and Visual Arts (Art, including two-dimensionaland three-dimensional, and Media) disciplines and orms. The arts disciplinesmay be o ered by schools individually and/or in combination; or example, ina cross-disciplinary manner or using new arts orms that combine traditionalarts disciplines. At Levels 4 and 5, the study o a range o arts disciplinesbroadens and deepens students understanding o the Arts as an area o human activity and provides increased opportunities or personal expressionand communication. All students should have continuous experience in atleast two arts disciplines at each o these levels. At Level 6, learning programsshould provide opportunities or students to continue sequential developmento learning in the arts disciplines they have undertaken at Levels 4 and 5.Opportunities should also be provided or students to explore personalinterests and develop skills, knowledge and understanding relevant to speci carts orms and disciplines in increasingly sophisticated ways.

At all levels, learning programs in the arts disciplines should provideopportunities or students to experience a range o traditional, contemporary(including digital) and new media/multi-disciplinary orms and genres.

Structure of the domainThe Arts domain is organised into six sections, one or each level o achievement rom Level 1 to Level 6. Each level includes a learning ocusstatement and a set o standards. A glossary is included which providesde nitions o or in ormation about underlined terms.

Learning focusLearning ocus statements are written or each level. These outline the learningthat students need to ocus on i they are to progress in the domain andachieve the standards at the levels where they apply. They suggest appropriate

learning experiences rom which teachers can draw to develop relevantteaching and learning activities. Advice regarding the range o arts disciplinesthat students should experience is included as an introduction to each learning

ocus statement.

StandardsStandards de ne what students should know and be able to do at di erentlevels and are written or each dimension. In the Arts, standards or assessingand reporting on student achievement apply rom Level 1.


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DimensionsStandards in the Arts domain are organised in two dimensions:

Creating and making

Exploring and responding.

Standards or the Exploring and responding dimension are introduced romLevel .

The rames o re erence interpreting, responding, per orming, presenting,ideas, skills, techniques, processes, context, aesthetics and criticism are

integral to both dimensions as Exploring and responding draws on studentsexperiences as creators, makers, per ormers and/or audience.

Advice will be published or each arts discipline to accompany the standards.

Creating and making

The Creating and making dimension ocuses on ideas, skills, techniques,processes, per ormances and presentations. It includes engagement inconcepts that emerge rom a range o starting points and stimuli. Studentsexplore experiences, ideas, eelings and understandings through making,interpreting, per orming, creating and presenting. Creating and making arts

works involves imagination and experimentation; planning; the application o arts elements, principles and/or conventions; skills, techniques and processes;media, materials, equipment and technologies; refection; and re nement.Individually and collaboratively, students explore their own works and works byother artists working in di erent historic and cultural contexts.

Exploring and responding

The Exploring and responding dimension ocuses on context, interpretingand responding, criticism and aesthetics. It involves students analysing anddeveloping understanding about their own and other peoples work andexpressing personal and in ormed judgments o arts works. Involvement in

evaluating meaning, ideas and/or content in nished products is integral toengagement in the Arts.

Exploration o , and response to, expressive qualities o arts works is in ormedby critical analysis o the use o elements, content and techniques anddiscussion about the nature, content, and ormal, aesthetic and/or kinaestheticqualities o arts works. Exploring the qualities o arts works involves use o artslanguage and also draws on research into the purposes and unctions or whichthe works are created and audiences to whom they are presented. This involvesstudents developing an understanding o social, cultural, political, economicand historic contexts and constructs, and developing a consideration o ways

that arts works refect, construct, rein orce and challenge personal, societal andcultural values and belie s.



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Level 1 All students should experience learning in Per orming Arts (Dance, Dramaand Music) and Visual Arts (Art: two-dimensional and three-dimensional,and Media) disciplines and orms. Learning and teaching programs at thislevel involve these arts disciplines individually ( or example, Music) or incombination ( or example, Dance and Drama, or Media and Visual Arts Art:two-dimensional and three-dimensional).

Learning focus As students work towards the achievement o Level 1 standards in the Arts,they make per orming and visual arts works that express and communicateexperiences, observations, ideas and eelings about themselves and their world. With guidance, they make arts works in traditional and contemporary(including digital) arts orms in response to stimuli drawn rom sources suchas play, problem solving, imagination, observation, incursions and excursions.Students natural tendency to discovering possibilities and limitations isencouraged through exploring di erent ways o using per orming and visualarts elements, principles and/or conventions, skills, techniques and processes,media, materials and technologies.

For example, students could:

in Art, use a range o mark making tools to explore as many ways aspossible to apply wet and dry media

in Dance (a ter the sa e dance practice o a warm up or the body),communicate the idea o a lea in the wind by using movements to shi tbody weight in di erent ways

in Drama, communicate a characters eelings at di erent points in a storythrough acial expression, gesture and other non-vocal language

in Media, make and record sound e ects to accompany a story book they

have created in Music, use body percussion, ound and made percussion instruments and

their voices to create a soundscape about changes in the weather.

As part o their arts making, students talk about ways in which the Arts arepart o their personal experience, as well as cultural and social events in their community. They discuss and express opinions about arts ideas they areexploring and works they are creating and, with guidance, begin to use artslanguage to describe eatures o their own and others arts works. They learnabout ways o making personal responses to arts works based on sensory

perception, and consider ways that they and others can be both makers andaudience.



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Further examples o arts discipline-speci c learning approaches or Level 1 will

be available on the Standards website at in 2006.

StandardCreating and making

At Level 1, students make and share per orming and visual arts works thatcommunicate observations, personal ideas, eelings and experiences. Theyexplore and, with guidance, use a variety o arts elements (on their own or incombination), skills, techniques and processes, media, materials, equipmentand technologies in a range o arts orms. They talk about aspects o their ownarts works, and arts works and events in their community.

In the Arts, standards or the Exploring and responding dimension areintroduced at Level .


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EnglishIntroduction

In the English domain, texts and language constitute the central and essentialconcepts. The concept o texts ocuses equally on creating and analysing texts,understanding and interpreting texts, and moving beyond interpretation torefection and critical analysis. The concept o language includes the use o language and the development o linguistic competence, and the developmento knowledge about language.

Students learn to appreciate, enjoy and use language and develop a senseo its richness and its power to evoke eelings, to orm and convey ideas, toin orm, to discuss, to persuade, to entertain and to argue.

The English domain is centred on the conscious and deliberate study o language in the variety o texts and contexts in which it is spoken, read,viewed and written. It is concerned with a wide range o written and spokentexts in print and electronic orms including literary texts such as novels, shortstories, poetry, plays and non- ction; lm and other multimodal texts; mediatexts; in ormation, commercial and workplace texts; everyday texts; andpersonal writing.

The study o English involves students in reading, viewing, listening to,writing, creating, comparing, researching and talking about a range o texttypes rom the simple to the complex, rom texts dealing with concrete andstraight orward in ormation to those dealing with increasingly complex andabstract issues and ideas. English teachers encourage students to explorethe meaning o texts and how meaning is conveyed. They introduce criticalapproaches to the ideas and thinking contained in texts and support studentsin the development o critical understanding about the ways writers andspeakers control language to infuence their listeners, readers and viewers.

Students develop an understanding o the way purpose, audience and

situation infuence the structures and eatures o language and learn to applytheir knowledge in their reading, writing, viewing, speaking and listening.They come to understand that di erent kinds o texts are appropriate or di erent occasions and learn to appreciate the variety o English usage indi erent times and places. They also learn about the ways language shapesand refects attitudes in di erent times and places. Students are provided withopportunities to use language e ectively in a range o contexts rom in ormalto ormal.



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Students learn terminology or metalanguage to describe and discuss particular

structures and eatures o language produced in a variety o contexts. Theylearn to control language by applying their understanding o the grammaticalstructures o Standard Australian English, by learning to spell accurately anduse punctuation e ectively, as well as by imitating good writers and speakers.

Understanding texts and recognising how language works within themis necessary or success at school and beyond or an active, in ormed and

ul lling li e in modern Australian society and the global community. Byunderstanding and working with texts, students acquire the knowledge, skillsand personal qualities that enable them to read, view and listen critically andto think, speak and write clearly and con dently.

Structure of the domainThe English domain is organised into six sections, one or each level o achievement rom Level 1 to Level 6. Each level includes a learning ocusstatement and a set o standards organised by dimension. A glossary isincluded (see page 80) which provides de nitions o or additional in ormationabout underlined terms.


StandardsStandards de ne what students should know and be able to do at di erentlevels and are written or each dimension. In English, standards or assessingand reporting on student achievement apply rom Level 1.

DimensionsStandards in the English domain are organised in three dimensions:

Reading Writing Speaking and listening.



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The learning in these dimensions is interrelated. For example, speaking and

listening contribute to the development o students reading responses. Writingcontributes to communication about texts read or viewed and to refection andlearning. To help support student progress in all three dimensions, learningcontexts are diverse and include situations that are in ormal, ormal, plannedand spontaneous.

Reading

The Reading dimension involves students understanding, interpreting, criticallyanalysing, refecting upon, and enjoying written and visual, print and non-print texts. It encompasses reading and viewing a wide range o texts andmedia, including literary texts such as novels, short stories, poetry and playsas well as popular ction and non- ction works, newspapers and magazines,illustrations, posters and charts, lm and television and the texts associatedwith in ormation and communications technology. Reading involves activeengagement with texts and the development o knowledge about therelationship between them and the contexts in which they are created. Italso involves the development o knowledge about a range o strategies or reading.

Writing

The Writing dimension involves students in the active process o conceiving,

planning, composing, editing and publishing a range o texts includingwriting or print and electronic media and per ormance. Writing involves usingappropriate language or particular purposes or occasions, both ormal andin ormal, to express and represent ideas, issues, arguments, events, experience,character, emotion and in ormation and to refect on such ideas. It involves thedevelopment o knowledge about strategies or writing and the conventionso Standard Australian English. Students develop a metalanguage to discusslanguage conventions and use.

Speaking and listening

This dimension re ers to the various ormal and in ormal ways oral language

is used to convey and receive meaning. It involves the development anddemonstration o knowledge about the appropriate oral language or particular audiences and occasions, including body language and voice. It also involvesthe development o active-listening strategies and an understanding o theconventions o di erent spoken texts including everyday communication,group discussion, ormal presentations and speeches, storytelling andnegotiating.



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Learners of English as a Second LanguageMany students in Victorian schools learn English as a Second Language (ESL).They are o all ages and at all stages o learning English and have varyingeducational backgrounds in their rst languages. While the broad objectiveso English programs will ultimately be the same or all students, those learningEnglish as a Second Language need time, support and exposure to Englishbe ore being expected to reach the standards described in the English domain,and will come to this achievement via a range o pathways.

Standards have been developed to assist teachers to devise e ective learningand assessment programs or ESL students. The document includes an

overview o the broad stages o English language development with learning ocus statements and standards or each stage. The standards or ESL studentsare available at .



Years , 5, and 9 in English, Mathematics, Science, Civics and Citizenship andIn ormation and Communication Technologies (ICT).

The Statements o Learning were developed as a means o achieving greater national consistency in curriculum outcomes across the eight Australianstates and territories. It was proposed that they be used by state and territorydepartments or curriculum authorities (their primary audience) to guide the


During 200 , the VCAA prepared a detailed map to show how the Statementso Learning are addressed and incorporated in the VELS. In the majority o

cases, the VELS learning ocus statements incorporate the Statements o Learning. Some Statements o Learning are covered in more than one domain.In some cases, VELS learning ocus statements have been elaborated toaddress elements o the Statements o Learning not previously speci ed. Theseelaborations are noted at the end o each learning ocus statement.

National Literacy BenchmarksNational Literacy Benchmarks are used or reporting achievement in threeaspects o literacy reading, writing and spelling at Years , 5 and . Thebenchmarks de ne nationally agreed minimum acceptable standards or

literacy at these years.


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Full details o the National Literacy Benchmarks are available in Literacy

Benchmarks Years 3, 5 and 7, Writing, Spelling and Reading , CurriculumCorporation, 2000 at .

The benchmarks describe minimum standards. For this reason, the Year benchmarks relate to Level 2 English standards, the Year 5 benchmarks relateto Level English standards and the Year benchmarks relate to Level 4English standards. Links to the literacy benchmarks are located in the Englishstandards.


As students work towards the achievement o Level 1 standards in English,they draw on a range o experiences and skills with texts and language used athome and in the community when speaking, listening, reading and writing toestablish a oundation or English learning in the school context.

Students learn to read simple, predictable texts that have amiliar content.Texts at this level have simple sentences and predominantly oral languagepatterns, and include repetition o phrases and illustrations that represent the

main ideas such as picture books. Students learn that print text maintains aconstant message, and they use title, illustrations and knowledge o a texttopic to predict meaning in texts.

They explore the purpose, ormation and conventions o print and develop aworking understanding o how sounds are represented alphabetically. To makemeaning they use context and in ormation about words, letters, combinationso letters and the sounds associated with them. They expand their vocabularyand use illustrations to extend meaning. With support they select their ownreading material rom a small range o amiliar texts.

Students begin to compose simple texts about personally signi cant topics or their own purposes and audiences. When writing words and simplesentences they draw on their knowledge o the alphabet and its relationshipwith the sound system, conventional letters, groups o letters and some simplepunctuation such as ull stops and capital letters to communicate meaning.They begin to recognise that writing is used to convey ideas, eelings andin ormation, and they discuss the purposes o their writing and the sources o their ideas. They learn to orm letters correctly and to use a range o writingimplements.

Students regularly make brie presentations on a speci ed topic to small groupsor the whole class, learning to speak at an appropriate volume and pace or listeners needs. They practise sequencing main events and ideas coherently



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and sel -correct by rephrasing when meaning is not clear. They contribute

ideas during class and group discussion, and ollow simple instructions. Theylearn to retell what they have heard and ask and answer simple questions or in ormation and clari cation.

Students learn and practise the skills o being attentive listeners in ormaland in ormal classroom situations. They listen and respond to a range o simple texts, including books read aloud, audio tapes and lms, and to brie spoken texts that deal with amiliar ideas and in ormation. Students beginto adjust their speaking and listening to suit context, purpose and audiencein order to communicate meaning and to understand others. When sharingand responding to ideas and in ormation in print, visual and electronic texts,

students make connections with their own experiences and ideas.

StandardsReading

At Level 1, students match print and spoken text in their immediateenvironment. They recognise how sounds are represented alphabetically andidenti y some soundletter relationships. They read aloud simple print andelectronic texts that include some requently used words and predominantlyoral language structures. They read rom le t to right with return sweep,and rom top to bottom. They use title, illustrations and knowledge o a text

topic to predict meaning. They use context and in ormation about words,letters, combinations o letters and the sounds associated with them to makemeaning, and use illustrations to extend meaning.

Writing

At Level 1, students write personal recounts and simple texts about amiliar topics to convey ideas or messages. In their writing, they use conventionalletters, groups o letters, and simple punctuation such as ull stops and capitalletters. Students are aware o the sound system and the relationships betweenletters and sounds in words when spelling. They orm letters correctly, and usea range o writing implements and so tware.

Speaking and listening

At Level 1, students use spoken language appropriately in a variety o classroom contexts. They ask and answer simple questions or in ormation andclari cation, contribute relevant ideas during class or group discussion, and

ollow simple instructions.

They listen to and produce brie spoken texts that deal with amiliar ideas andin ormation. They sequence main events and ideas coherently in speech, andspeak at an appropriate volume and pace or listeners needs. They sel -correctby rephrasing a statement or question when meaning is not clear.


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The HumanitiesIntroduction

The Humanities in Prep to Year 10 involve the study o human societies andenvironments, people and their cultures in the past and the present. TheHumanities provide a ramework or developing in students the key ideasand concepts that enable them to understand the way in which people andsocieties have organised their world under particular conditions and mademeaning o it.

The Humanities take as their subject matter human behaviour. They provideunique ways to understand how and why groups o people have settled wherethey have, organised their societies, developed means o generating anddistributing wealth, developed codes, laws and belie systems, related to other groups o people and interacted with their physical environment.

The Humanities encourage use o research skills and inquiry processes.Students learn to plan an investigation and ask key questions. They questionand analyse a range o data and sources including arte acts, photographs,maps, stories, special events, interviews, site visits and electronic media. They

orm conclusions supported by evidence and present in ormation in a varietyo ways.

Structure of the HumanitiesThe Humanities discipline is organised into our domains:

The Humanities (Levels 1 ) The Humanities History (Levels 46) The Humanities Geography (Levels 46) The Humanities Economics (Levels 46).During Levels 1 to , students are introduced to basic concepts related

to history, geography and economics under a general umbrella o TheHumanities. Each level includes a learning ocus statement with standardsintroduced rom Level . Speci c learning ocus statements and standards or Economics, Geography and History are introduced at Level 4.


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The ollowing table provides a summary o the structure o the Humanities.

DOMAIN DIMENSION LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 3 LEVEL 4 LEVEL 5 LEVEL 6

TheHumanities

Humanitiesknowledge andunderstanding

Learning ocusstatement only Not applicable

Humanitiesskills

TheHumanities Economics

Economicknowledge andunderstanding

Not applicable

Economicreasoning andinterpretation

TheHumanities Geography

Geographicalknowledge andunderstanding

Geospatial skills

TheHumanities History

Historicalknowledge andunderstanding

Historicalreasoning andinterpretation

Shaded boxes represent levels in each domain that have ormal standardsagainst which student achievement will be assessed and reported.

A glossary is included which provides de nitions o underlined terms (see

page 80).




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StandardsStandards de ne what students should know and be able to do at di erentlevels and are written or each dimension. Standards that ocus on historicaland geographical knowledge and understanding are introduced at Level .Speci c standards or Economics, Geography and History are introduced atLevel 4.

DimensionsStandards in the Humanities are organised in two dimensions:

Humanities knowledge and understanding

Humanities skills.

Humanities knowledge and understanding

The Humanities knowledge and understanding dimension ocuses on keyhumanities knowledge and concepts. Students learn about their immediateand local community and environment and are introduced to the history andgeography o their country and the diversity o culture and environment.Through structured activities they learn the concepts o time chronologyand sequencing, change and continuity and spatial concepts o location,distance, scale and distribution.

Humanities skillsThe Humanities skills dimension ocuses on the development o basic inquiryskills including observation, the collection o various types o evidence, askingand answering questions about evidence and presenting in ormation in avariety o ways.

Level 1

Learning focus As students work towards the achievement o Level standards in theHumanities, they draw on their own experience to help them understand theworld around them. Through activities such as developing personal and amilytimelines, examining photographs and buildings, and visits rom communitymembers, they learn about the concepts o time chronology and sequencing,and change and continuity.

Through reading and listening to narratives, including personal stories, andparticipating in celebrations students begin to learn about the cultures andhistories that have contributed to Australian society and by seeing and hearing

about other places outside their experience they begin to consider how andwhy other times and places are di erent rom their own.



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Victorian Essential Learnin

Victorian Essential Learning Standards Level 1

Documents

Transcript of Victorian Essential Learning Standards Level 1