K-10 Syllabus
Middle Childhood (4-7) Syllabus
The Middle Childhood (4-7) Syllabus is designed to support teachers with planning and delivering learning, teaching and assessment programs in the context of the Curriculum Framework. The syllabus details content at each year of schooling across the middle childhood phase of development. When using these advisory materials, teachers will continue to make professional judgements about when to introduce content based on students' prior learning and achievement.
Last Updated: Wednesday, 20 February 2008 11:11
- Purpose
Download: Purpose of the Middle Childhood (4-7) Syllabus
This syllabus provides teachers with advice about content, planning, teaching and assessment in years 4-7.
Connections with other curriculum policy and support documents
This syllabus is consistent with, and can be used in conjunction with, the following policy and support documents:- The Curriculum Framework for Kindergarten to Year 12 Education in Western Australia produced by the Curriculum Council of Western Australia.
The Curriculum Framework establishes the learning outcomes expected of all Western Australian students from kindergarten to year 12. - The Curriculum Council’s Curriculum Framework Progress Maps.
These describe progressive student achievement from kindergarten to year 12 and are a guide for monitoring and planning for student achievement. - The Department of Education and Training’s Outcomes and Standards Framework.
This is similar to the Progress Maps but also includes Achievement Targets for years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in WA public schools. - The Curriculum Council’s Curriculum Framework Curriculum Guides.
These describe, in phases of development, content to support students’ progress from kindergarten to year 12. - The MCEETYA National Consistency in Curriculum Outcomes (NCCO) Statements of Learning.
These are statements of learning agreed to by State and Territory Ministers for Education and are intended to provide greater consistency in curriculum outcomes across Australia.
As part of a K-12 approach, this syllabus also:- builds on the Early Childhood (K-3) Syllabus
- prepares students for learning in years 8-10.
- The Curriculum Framework for Kindergarten to Year 12 Education in Western Australia produced by the Curriculum Council of Western Australia.
- Phase of Development
Download: Students’ learning in the middle childhood phase of development
- Students in years 4-7:
- begin to see themselves as members of larger communities
- are better able work collaboratively and have greater interaction with people inside and outside the classroom
- begin to understand and appreciate different points of view and are interested in people from other times, places and cultures
- develop the ability to think in more abstract terms
- ask more focused questions
- can assume greater responsibility for managing and organising classroom activities.
The Curriculum Framework identifies seven principles of effective learning and teaching:- opportunity to learn
- connection and challenge
- action and reflection
- motivation and purpose
- inclusivity and difference
- independence and collaboration
- supportive environment.
The principles of effective learning and teaching can be incorporated into teaching in years 4-7 in ways which take account of students’ current stages of development.
- Content
Download: Content
Content in this syllabus is organised into:
Download: K-10 Overviews
Download: Scope and sequence statements- K-10 overviews
- scope and sequence statements expressed in year levels to provide advice on starting points for learning, teaching and assessment programs.
Scope and sequence statements are provided for the following learning areas:- The Arts
- English
- Health and Physical Education
- Languages (LOTE)
- Mathematics
- Science
- Society and Environment
- Technology and Enterprise.
In addition cross-curriculum content relevant to the following national and state priority areas has been incorporated within the scope and sequence statements:- Civics and Citizenship
- Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
- Literacy
- Numeracy
- Physical activity
- Values.
- Planning
Download: Planning for learning in the middle childhood phase of development
When using the content in this syllabus to plan for learning, teachers of years 4-7 need to take into account the following:- relevant policies and curriculum priorities
- students’ achievement and learning needs
- opportunities to integrate learning
- the Curriculum Framework’s principles of learning, teaching and assessment.
- Assessment
Download: Assessment in middle childhood
The purpose of assessment is to monitor students' progress to:- provide feedback
- inform planning, teaching and reporting.
- assessment relies on teachers’ professional judgements
- assessment should be referenced to common standards as described in the Curriculum Framework Progress Maps / Outcomes and Standards Framework
- teachers do not have to formally level or grade every piece of student work
- schools should have an assessment policy which is communicated to students and other members of the school community
- assessment can be undertaken in a variety of ways including via collection and marking of student work, observation, checklists, portfolios, recordings and anecdotal records
- teachers can select from a range of published or teacher developed resources to record assessment information.