Handwriting behaviours are not described in the year level achievement standard or the writing assessment pointers. Instead, the Authority has developed the Handwriting Continuum to support Western Australian teachers in the teaching and monitoring of student handwriting for Pre-primary through to Year 10. The Handwriting Continuum can be found under the Teaching menu in the K-10 section of this website. Teachers will need to log in to the Extranet to access this resource.
Reading and Viewing
At Standard, students understand how similar texts share characteristics by identifying text structures and language features used to describe characters and events, or to communicate factual information. They read texts that contain varied sentence structures, some unfamiliar vocabulary, a significant number of high-frequency sight words and images that provide extra information. They monitor meaning and self-correct using knowledge of phonics, syntax, punctuation, semantics and context. They use knowledge of a wide variety of letter-sound relationships to read words of one or more syllables with fluency. They identify literal and implied meaning, main ideas and supporting detail. Students make connections between texts by comparing content. They explain their preferences for aspects of texts using other texts as comparisons.
Writing and Creating
Students create texts, drawing on their own experiences, their imagination and information they have learnt. They create texts that show how images support the meaning of the text. Students accurately spell words with regular spelling patterns and spell words with less common long vowel patterns. They use punctuation accurately.
Speaking and Listening
Students listen for particular purposes. They listen for and manipulate sound combinations and rhythmic sound patterns. When discussing their ideas and experiences, students use everyday language features and topic-specific vocabulary. They explain their preferences for aspects of texts using other texts as comparisons. Students create texts that show how images support the meaning of the text. They create texts, drawing on their own experiences, their imagination and information they have learnt. Students use a variety of strategies to engage in group and class discussions and make presentations.
Health Education
At Standard, students list appropriate strategies and behaviours, and outline how they promote health, safety and wellbeing related to personal health practices, such as drinking enough water and getting sufficient sleep each night.
Students interpret the feelings of others and provide a suitable strategy to respond to them, such as including classmates in activities or games.
Physical Education
At Standard, students perform a number of fundamental movement skills, including body management, locomotor and object control skills. They apply a combination of these skills when they participate in simple games or physical activities.
Students describe ways their body reacts and the positive feelings they have when participating in physical activity. They demonstrate positive ways to interact with others in games and describe why rules and fair play are important.
At Standard, students pose questions, locate, sort and record collected information and/or data from provided sources. They identify and process relevant information and/or data by categorising, sequencing events and exploring points of view. Students use different formats to represent their information, and draw simple conclusions. They participate in decision-making processes by contributing to group discussions. Students share their findings in a range of ways, and develop simple texts using some relevant terms. They reflect on what they have learnt using oral and/or written forms.
Students locate major geographical divisions of the world, and describe places at a variety of scales. They describe the interconnections between people and places, and they identify the factors that influence people’s connections with others in different places. Students identify people, sites and parts of the natural environment in their local community that reveal information about the past, and those that have significance today. They identify examples of how technology has changed and its impact on people’s lives.
Number and Algebra
At Standard, students count to and from 1000. They perform simple addition and subtraction calculations using a range of strategies. Students represent multiplication and division by grouping into sets. They divide collections and shapes into halves, quarters and eighths. Students associate collections of Australian coins with their value. They recognise increasing and decreasing number sequences involving 2s, 3s and 5s. Students identify the missing element in a number sequence.
Measurement and Geometry
Students order shapes and objects using informal units. They tell time to the quarter hour and use a calendar to identify the date and the months included in seasons. Students recognise the features of three-dimensional objects. They draw two-dimensional shapes. Students interpret simple maps of familiar locations. They explain the effects of one-step transformations.
Statistics and Probability
Students describe outcomes for everyday events. They collect, organise and represent data to make simple inferences. Students make sense of collected information.
Science Understanding
At Standard, students describe changes to materials and living things, and how a push or a pull affects an object’s behaviour. They identify that certain materials and resources have different uses.
Science as a Human Endeavour
Students describe examples of where science is used in people’s daily lives.
Science Inquiry Skills
Students pose and respond to questions about their experiences and predict outcomes of investigations. They use informal measurements to make and compare observations. Students record and represent observations and communicate ideas in a variety of ways.
At standard, students interact in Chinese with their teacher and each other through routine exchanges, guided group activities, instructions and transactions, to provide information about themselves, the members of their family, their classmates and friends. They use simple modelled language and gestures, such as 我有弟弟，你呢？ and 我的朋友叫Simon. Students recognise most familiar words and some key phrases in simple spoken or visual texts related to their personal worlds, identifying some key points of information to mostly complete guided tasks. They locate some keywords and factual information in written texts related to their personal worlds and convey information using, with some guidance, modelled language. They respond to imaginative texts using simple verbal and non-verbal forms of expression, with some guidance, to comment on some favourite elements, characters or themes and create simple written imaginative texts using familiar characters and modelled language, with some guidance. Students identify some Chinese words, expressions or phrases for familiar objects or English words and begin to increase their vocabulary. They identify some elements of Chinese language and culture that are ‘new’ or ‘interesting,’ and some ways in which relationships can influence language use.
Students become familiar with the systems of the Chinese language, reproducing the tones of Pinyin and identifying high-frequency characters within words, with a satisfactory level of accuracy. They recognise and use vocabulary and use some first elements of grammar in simple spoken and written texts, with a satisfactory level of accuracy. They recognise that Chinese sentences have a particular word order, such as 我爱妈妈 is about ‘I’ and 妈妈爱我 is about ‘Mum.’ They use the third person to introduce others and describe people using adjectives, such as 头、头发、眼睛、, 大、小、长 and 黑色、棕色.They identify some different forms of texts and some of the different structures and features of familiar texts. Students identify some of the ways that speakers of Chinese use language differently in different situations and according to cultural norms, and some of the ways that the Chinese language has changed over time through its contact with other languages and changes in society.
At standard, students interact in Japanese with their teacher and each other through routine exchanges, guided group activities, instructions and transactions to talk about friends and family members, such as かぞく は 六人 です。 They use simple formulaic structures, expressions and gestures, to make statements such as おとうさん は くるま が すきです。 Students identify some specific points of information in simple texts to mostly complete guided tasks and they make use of simple statements, modelled language and support materials to convey factual information about their personal worlds. They listen to, view and read Japanese versions of familiar children’s stories and Japanese folk tales, comparing some expressions with English language. They create or recreate simple songs, poems and rhymes using gestures, familiar words and modelled language with guidance. They identify for others some Japanese expressions that do not translate readily into English and cultural practices that are not commonly used by English speakers. Students identify some of the similarities and differences between some aspects of Japanese and Australian cultural practices and use of language.
Students become familiar with the systems of the Japanese language, reproducing the sounds, rhythms, and intonation patterns of spoken language with a satisfactory level of accuracy. They recognise and copy with a satisfactory level of accuracy, the 46 hiragana and a few high-frequency kanji with support, and identify known hiragana within words to predict meaning. They use words and expressions and some first elements of grammar with a satisfactory level of accuracy. Students indicate affirmative and negative responses using はい/ いいえ；ちがいます and use some culturally specific parallel phrases related to giving and receiving. They learn to use common onomatopoeia such as ぺこぺこ、わんわん and begin to use counters in Japanese. Students specify items using the possessive particle の, such as わたし の かぞく. They describe people, animals, places and things using adjective-noun phrases.They identify some different forms of texts that use different structures and features to achieve their purpose. They identify some ways Japanese speakers use language differently in different situations and according to cultural norms. Students identify some ways that the Japanese language has changed over time through contact with other languages and changes in society.
At standard, students interact in German with the teacher and each other through guided group activities, simple tasks and games, to participate in routine exchanges, using simple descriptive and expressive modelled language, to ask each other how they are feeling, to offer wishes and to talk about events in the day and over the year. They responds usually to teacher talk and instructions. They identify rehearsed vocabulary in simple texts and convey some information related to their personal worlds. They respond to imaginative texts through simple verbal and non-verbal forms of expression and some modelled language and create simple stories and perform imaginative scenarios using familiar words and modelled language. Students translate and interpret familiar simple expressions. They recognise and give an example of how meanings are similar or different in different languages. They identify some similarities and differences between cultural practices of German-speaking communities and their own environment.
Students become familiar with the systems of the German language, reproducing the sounds and rhythms of spoken German with a satisfactory level of accuracy and consistency. They recognise and begin to write words and expressions they have heard in familiar contexts. They begin to use some first elements of grammar with a satisfactory level of accuracy, to write simple texts such as lists, captions and descriptions. Students describe people, animals or objects using bin/bist/ist and an adjective such as Das Buch ist neu. They understand and use some question words and can respond to them. They understand the location or origin of a person or object such as hier, links and rechts and prepositions such as auf, aus, hinter, in, neben and unter. Students gain an awareness of terms referring to quantities of people and things, including cardinal numbers 0–50 and mehr, weniger, viel/e, nichts and kein/e, as well as vocabulary referring to time such as days, time of day, months and time. Students identify some different forms of texts that use different structures and features to achieve their purpose. Students recognise usually that German speakers use language differently in different situations, and that languages change through contact with other people and through changes in society.
At standard, students interact in Italian using simple descriptive or expressive modelled language and gestures to participate in tasks or activities, to ask each other how they are, offer wishes and to talk about events in the day and over the year, such as Martedì, io vado al cinema. Students identify some specific points of information in simple texts and they listen to, view and read imaginative texts and respond through shared performance. They use familiar words, phrases and modelled language to convey factual information and to create stories and perform imaginative scenarios. Students translate for others some of what they can express in Italian, and state how meanings are similar or different. They talk about some of the similarities and differences between Italian and Australian cultural practices and use of language.
Students reproduce the sounds and intonation patterns of spoken Italian with a satisfactory level of accuracy, stressing the final letter of familiar words that end with an accent, such as papà and città. They use familiar vocabulary and expressions and some first elements of grammar to convey simple information and write simple texts, such as lists, captions and descriptions, with a satisfactory level of accuracy. Students identify people using subject pronouns and they are aware that adjectives are usually placed after the noun, such as la torta deliziosa. They use simple conjunctions, such as e, singular and plural forms of definite and indefinite articles with familiar nouns, and simple verbs in formulaic expressions, such as Mi piace la danza e il cricket. They experiment with different question words, numbers 0–50 and cardinal numbers for dates and ages. They identify some different forms of texts and some of the different structures and features of familiar text types. They identify some ways Italian speakers use language differently in different situations and between different people. They identify some ways in which languages can change over time through contact with other languages and changes in society.
At standard, students interact in Indonesian with their teacher and each other through routine exchanges, guided group activities, instructions and transactions to share information about how they are, offer wishes and talk about events in the day and over the year. They use simple descriptive or expressive modelled language, such as Selamat pagi, Bu! and Apa kabar? Students identify some specific points of information in simple texts to mostly complete guided tasks and they make use of familiar words and phrases, simple statements and modelled language to convey factual information about their personal worlds. They listen to, view and read a range of imaginative texts and respond using simple verbal and non-verbal forms of expression and some modelled language. They create stories with some guidance and perform imaginative scenarios, using familiar words and modelled language. Students translate for others some of what they can express in Indonesian, and state how meanings are similar or different in English. They identify some of the similarities and differences between Indonesian and Australian cultural practices and use of language.
Students reproduce the sounds and rhythms of spoken Indonesian and the pronunciation of the vowels and the letters c (ch) and trilled r, with a satisfactory level of accuracy. They use familiar vocabulary to convey factual information at word and simple sentence level, and some first elements of grammar to write simple texts, such as lists, captions and descriptions with a satisfactory level of accuracy. Students apply word order in familiar phrases, such as nama saya to describe possession. Students use simple verbs, such as suka and bermain to describe actions and auxiliary verbs, such as ada and mau. Students use question words, such as Di mana? and respond with the anticipated answer. Students use imperatives to tell others to do something, such as Tepuk tangan! and refer to numbers of things using cardinal numbers, such as nol-sepuluh, puluh and belas. Students use conjunctions, such as dan and tetapi and use demonstratives ini and itu to refer to things. Students use noun-adjective phrases, such as buku merah and Bapak saya to describe the characteristics of things and they negate verbs and adjectives using tidak. They identify some different forms of texts that use the different structures and features to achieve their purpose. Students identify some ways Indonesian speakers use language differently in different situations, and between different people and some ways that the Indonesian language has changed over time through contact with other languages and changes in society.
At standard, students interact in French with their teacher and each other through routine exchanges, guided group activities, instructions and transactions, to share information about how they are, offer wishes and talk about events in the day and over the year. They use simple descriptive or expressive modelled language and gestures, such as Aujourd’hui, il fait beau. Students identify some specific points of information in simple texts to mostly complete guided tasks and they make use of familiar words and phrases, simple statements and modelled language, to convey factual information about their personal worlds. They listen to, view and read a range of imaginative texts and respond using simple verbal and non-verbal forms of expression and some modelled language. They create stories with some guidance and perform imaginative scenarios, using familiar words and modelled language. They translate for others some of what they can express in French, and state how meanings are similar or different in English. Students identify some similarities and differences between cultural practices and related language use of French-speaking communities and Australia.
Students become familiar with the systems of the French language, reproducing the sounds and rhythms of spoken French, and the pronunciation of vowel sounds ou, eu and au with a satisfactory level of accuracy. They use words and expressions to convey factual information at word and simple sentence level, and some first elements of grammar to write simple texts, such as lists, captions and descriptions with a satisfactory level of accuracy. Students use the French subject-verb-object structure and the different patterns of adjective-noun order, such as le grand chien and la jolie fille. They begin to use definite and indefinite articles in singular or plural forms and some prepositions in simple sentence structures, such as Elle est devant la maison. They develop number knowledge for ordinal numbers and time words associated with months of year and days of week, to talk and write about events in their personal worlds. They use singular forms of common verbs in the present tense, such as Il aime le football and some forms of irregular verbs, such as aller, venir and faire. They use simple questions and statements, such as Qu’est-ce que c’est ?They identify some different forms of texts that use different structures and features to achieve their purpose. Students identify some ways that French speakers use language differently in different situations, and between different people, and some ways that the French language has changed over time through its contact with other languages and changes in society.
At Standard, students identify and exemplify roles of people that design and produce products, services and environments within the community. In Engineering principles and systems, students use a range of forces to move objects and observe the reactions. In Food and fibre production, students make simple connections between healthy living, food and fibre choices. In Materials and technologies specialisations, students develop ideas and make design decisions, considering both the characteristics and properties of materials.
With all Design and Technology contexts, students explore design to meet needs or opportunities. They develop, communicate and discuss design ideas through describing, drawing, modelling and/or sequenced steps. Students use components and given equipment to safely make solutions. They use simple criteria to evaluate the success of design processes and solutions. Students work independently, or collaboratively, to organise information and ideas to safely create and share sequenced steps for solutions.
At Standard, students use digital systems for a specific purpose making connections between software and hardware. They identify patterns within data to make simple conclusions. Students select, present and use data using a variety of digital tools in an online environment.
In Digital Technologies, students explore design to meet needs or opportunities. They develop, communicate and discuss design ideas through describing, drawing, modelling and/or sequenced steps. Students use components and given equipment to safely make solutions. They use simple criteria to evaluate the success of design processes and solutions. Students work independently, or collaboratively, to organise information and ideas to safely create and share sequenced steps for solutions.
At Standard, students produce media work that conveys ideas and stories to audiences, using some audio or visual techniques. They explore how to use character and setting in familiar stories. Students experiment with the arrangement of captured or selected images, audio and text to convey their ideas. They select and use familiar signs and symbols to create meaning for a purpose in familiar contexts.
Students identify some features used in different media types that communicate ideas to different audiences. They share their interests and preferences about media work they view and produce.
At Standard, students explore some dramatic action to present some drama narratives. They use some voice and movement in improvised drama to create drama ideas. Students follow specified rehearsal processes to prepare and present drama ideas. They demonstrate audience awareness using performance skills in drama.
Students outline drama ideas supported by the use of voice and movement in performance. They outline some reasons why people make drama.
At Standard, students explore familiar and some imaginative movement ideas and use the elements of dance (body, space and time) to create dance sequences that have a distinct beginning and ending. They demonstrate locomotor and non-locomotor movements showing body awareness and some control of the whole body, varied body parts and bases in dance sequences. Students perform rehearsed dances to an audience, using some appropriate performance skills.
Students outline, using some dance terminology, how body, space and time are used to create key moments in their own and others’ dance sequences. They identify some suitable reasons why people dance in daily life.
At Standard, students recognise beat and identify, imitate and improvise short rhythm patterns in simple time signatures. They usually recognise, improvise, sing and play pitch patterns in tune within a pentatonic scale. Students use graphic and/or standard notation to represent music ideas, with some errors. They identify and incorporate tempo and some dynamics when composing and performing, making occasional errors. Students select mostly appropriate instruments or sound sources to communicate their own music ideas. They usually sing in tune, and play classroom instruments with mostly correct timing and technique.
Students listen and respond to music, usually identifying instruments or sound sources. They associate instruments with particular music ideas and usually recognise that music relates to a particular place, occasion or tradition. Students make a simple connection between an element of music when describing context or mood.
At Standard, students apply their ideas, skills and techniques to making artwork. They apply their ideas to familiar places, using some visual art elements, and a given range of materials, techniques and technologies. When producing artwork, students use shape, line, colour, texture and space. They create artwork, experimenting with some techniques.
Students suggest why people make art. They make simple, personal responses about how they or others have used visual art elements in artwork.