Schools are asked to consider the extent to which they have documented the teaching and learning plan for each curriculum area (the learning areas and capabilities) across the years of schooling, to support a progression of learning.
This layer of documentation ensures that student learning is sequential and cumulative, rather than random, which risks either unnecessary repetition or serious gaps in student learning. The layer of documentation by curriculum area includes:
- an overview of overarching concepts/ideas across the years of schooling
- the contexts/topics that will be used for the development of the required knowledge and skills
- the sequencing of key knowledge and skills.
Curriculum planning documentation by curriculum area needs to be informed by and/or inform the other three interrelated layers of planning:
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By school – a high-level summary of the coverage of all the curriculum areas, reflecting the school’s goals, vision and any particular areas of specialisation or innovation
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By year level – a coherent program from a student perspective that enables effective connections across curriculum areas
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By unit/lessons – plans that specify Victorian Curriculum F–10 content descriptions and achievement standards, activities and resources to ensure students of all achievement levels are able to progress
Self-assessment questions
Does the teaching and learning program for each learning area and capability:
- provide an overview of the overarching concepts/ideas to be developed across the years of schooling?
- outline the contexts/topics that will be used for the development of the knowledge and skills?
- outline the sequencing of the key knowledge?
- outline the sequencing of the key skills?
- include the achievement standards?
- include the approximate time allocations for contexts/topics?
Examples of curriculum area curriculum plans
The examples below demonstrate the ‘by curriculum area’ layer only of the whole-school curriculum planning process.
Primary school by curriculum area – English writing
Secondary school by curriculum area – Mathematics