Australian Curriculum: English

The Literacy Hub resources closely align with the Australian Curriculum: English (Version 9.0) for Foundation to Year 2.

The Australian Curriculum outlines the essential content teachers are expected to teach and students are expected to learn. Opportunities to establish literacy learning skills in all learning areas are further supported through the Australian Curriculum's Literacy general capability.

English is the national language of Australia, and the Australian Curriculum: English aims to equip students with skills in English to analyse, understand and communicate effectively, foster meaningful connections with others and the world around them, and create and appreciate literature of all types. It develops confident communicators, imaginative and critical thinkers, and informed citizens.

Strands

The Australian Curriculum: English is organised under three interrelated strands:

  • Language - Understanding how English works (spoken, written, multimodal), including grammar, vocabulary and text structure.
  • Literature - Engaging with and responding to literary texts from diverse cultures and contexts, including First Nations voices.
  • Literacy - Applying language skills to comprehend, create and communicate effectively in various contexts.

Literacy general capability 

The Literacy general capability describes the literacy skills a student is expected to develop and apply across all learning areas. It explains the increasing complexity of Standard Australian English (SAE) and the common developmental pathway of literacy learning. Presented as a Literacy learning progression, it is structured into three elements:

  • Speaking and listening
  • Reading and viewing
  • Writing

Each element contains additional sub-elements. Teachers can leverage the learning progression of the Literacy general capability to design purposeful teaching strategies and establish precise learning targets for students.

For further information, refer to Understand this general capability: Literacy.

Australian Curriculum around the country

The Australian Curriculum: English and the Literacy general capability are implemented within the educational context of each state and territory. For detailed guidance, refer to ACARA's advice on the Implementing the Australian Curriculum.

Implementing the Australian Curriculum: English

The Literacy Hub has a range of practical tools to help teachers implement the Australian Curriculum, including: