1King’s Baptist Grammar SchoolKing’s Baptist Grammar SchoolKing’s Baptist Grammar School

CurriculumGuidelines

Junior SchoolReception - Year 5 2017

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King’s Baptist Grammar School

CurriculumGuidelines

Junior SchoolReception - Year 5 2017

INDEX

Junior School Focus 2

Weekly Subject Allocations 3

CURRICULUM AREAS

English 4

Mathematics 7

Health & Physical Education 9

Science 10

HASS 11

Technologies 12

The Arts 13

Languages 15

Student Diversity 16

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JUNIOR SCHOOL FOCUS The beginning years of learning need to be an exciting, positive and encouraging time for young people. Children need to experience learning as fun and engaging, see themselves as learners, and feel the support and affirmation of caring adults who value and nurture their learning outcomes.

WITH THIS IN MIND, KING’S AIMS TO:• Facilitate positive learning outcomes with all students.• Value learning and understanding in all areas of the curriculum, including academic, physical, social,

emotional and spiritual.• Provide a comfortable, safe and secure environment, in both the physical and emotional areas.• Foster pride in work and encourage a desire for excellence, while maintaining room for creativity,

individuality and curiosity.• Encourage faith development in young people through prayer, praise and worship and study of the

Bible.

OUR TEACHING PRACTICE AT KING’S INCLUDES:• Approaches to learning that are suited to the maturity and learning readiness of young people.• The assistance of the Support Education staff to meet learning needs of individuals and groups.• Teacher, student, activity and resource based learning.• Co-operative planning and learning between teacher and student.• Peer and parent tutoring.• Use of a variety of methodologies.• Use of a variety of assessment strategies to provide feedback to students, parents and others.

King’s has chosen to develop an explicit teaching and learning strategy, adopting the best teaching practices available to all students.

Learning experiences are based on the content of the Australian Curriculum and student achievement at each year level is assessed against the Australian Curriculum Achievement Standards for each curriculum area.

In the early years, priority is given to literacy and numeracy development as the foundations for further learning. As students make their way through the primary years, they focus more on the knowledge, understanding and skills of all eight learning areas.

• English• Mathematics• HASS - Humanities and Social Sciences• Science• The Technologies – Design and Technology and Digital Technology• Health and Physical Education • The Arts: Visual Art, Drama, Music, Dance and Media Studies• Languages : German from Reception and Japanese from Year 5

General capabilities are included in the content of the learning areas. These are the skills and abilities intended to help prepare our students to learn, live and work in the 21st century. The general capabilities are: Literacy, Numeracy, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability, Critical and Creative

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Thinking, Personal and Social Capability, Ethical Understanding and Intercultural Understanding.

In a similar way, there are three priorities critical to Australia’s future: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Histories and Culture, Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia and Sustainability.

They build across the curriculum and allow students to connect the content of learning areas.

Finally, learning at King’s is centred on the Christian faith. (As a natural extension of this the Behaviour Management Policy is based on biblical principles of love, grace, compassion and repentance.) King’s is a school where students experience God through daily devotion times, a structured Christian Education program and weekly Chapels.

JUNIOR SCHOOL CURRICULUMGUIDE TO WEEKLY SUBJECT ALLOCATIONS (MINUTES PER WEEK)

SUBJECT R 1 2 3 4 5

English 450 450 450 350 350 350

Mathematics 300 300 300 300 300 300

Christian Education including devotions

90 90 90 90 90 90

HASS 90 90 90 150 150 180

Science 60 60 60 110 110 110

The Technologies 100 100 100 90 90 90

Health/PE/Daily Fitness 120 120 120 120 120 120

The Arts 150 150 150 150 150 150

Library 50 50 50 50 50 50

Languages 30 30 30 60 60 60

Chapel 50 50 50 50 50 50

Assembly 50 50 50 50 50 50

General 110 110 110 80 80 50

TOTAL CURRICULUM ALLOCATION 1650 1650 1650 1650 1650 1650

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ENGLISH

R-5 FOCUS

9 LITERACY IS DEVELOPED THROUGH THE SPECIFIC STUDY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN ALL ITS SPOKEN, WRITTEN AND VISUAL FORMS.

Literacy underpins all 8 Learning Areas of the Curriculum: English, Mathematics, Science, HASS, Health and PE, the Arts, The Technologies and Languages.

The Australian Curriculum: English has a central role in the development of literacy in a manner that is more explicit and prominent than is the case in other learning areas.

King’s English curriculum aims to ensure that students:

• learn to listen to, read, view, speak, write, create and reflect on different texts across a range of contexts with accuracy, fluency and purpose.

• appreciate, enjoy and use the English language in all its variations to evoke feelings, convey information, form ideas, facilitate interaction with others, entertain, persuade and argue.

• understand how Standard Australian English works in its spoken and written forms to communicate and create meaning.

• develop interest and skills in creating texts, and develop an informed appreciation of literature.

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ENGLISH

The English curriculum is organised into three interrelated strands that support students’ growing understanding and use of Standard Australian English.Together, the three focus on developing students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating. The three strands are:1. Language: knowing about the English language.2. Literature: understanding, appreciating, responding to, analysing and creating literary texts.3. Literacy: expanding the range of English usage.Learning in English builds on concepts, skills and processes developed in earlier years, and teachers at King’s will develop and strengthen these as needed.

WRITINGTEACHERS AT KING’S:P relate to children in a positive way so that they feel free to write about their concerns, feelings,

opinions, ideas and experiences

P are enthusiastic and show genuine interest

P are aware of difficulties

P encourage children to ask questions and seek help

P use children’s experiences as a basis for writing

P use positive approaches toward improving writing

P encourage individuality

P encourage children to be critical of their own writing

P create a wide variety of meaningful purposes for writing

P help children develop awareness of audiences for their writing

P attend regular training and development on current successful practice

SPELLINGTEACHERS AT KING’S:P use developmentally appropriate

strategies that include phonics, consonant and vowel blends, word families, thematic language and frequently used words

P encourage students to attempt challenging words

P model a variety of ways to work out a word including using a dictionary and thesaurus

P teach age appropriate spelling rules

P allow time for practise

READINGTEACHERS AT KING’S:P provide information about reading

P provide opportunities for practice

P provide a variety of appropriate resources

P encourage and extend language use

P provide experiences with literature

P observe and assess children’s reading behaviour

P provide feedback and encouragement

P model effective reading behaviour

P provide a literate environment

P support students to set individual goals

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LISTENING & SPEAKINGAt King’s students are given a large range of opportunities to develop competencies and confidence in using oral language effectively for a variety of purposes.

• Reading and retelling• Story telling• News telling• Drama• Reporting• Debating and arguing• Brainstorming

• Formal oral presentations • Discussions• Negotiations• Group interactions• Clarification of values and issues• Reflective responses• Questioning and enquiring

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MATHEMATICS

R-5 FOCUS

CONTENT STRANDS

9 NUMBER AND ALGEBRA

9 MEASUREMENT AND GEOMETRY

9 STATISTICS AND PROBABILITY

At King’s we believe that Mathematics, along with Literacy, form the pivotal and fundamental basis of learning in the Junior School. This is reflected in the amount of time we set aside for the teaching of Mathematics. We want students at King’s to be able to use Mathematics effectively to meet the general demands of life, future work and participation in the community.

Our mathematics program emphasises understanding, not just the process. We want our children to develop positive attitudes, understandings and knowledge, which will enable them to solve familiar tasks easily and efficiently and apply their mathematical understanding to new situations.

Modern day techniques and tools are a critical part of Mathematics at King’s. Thus, the use of concrete materials and calculators are encouraged. These techniques run alongside the emphasis on mental computation and the ability to use pen and paper.

Above all, King’s is a place where teachers strive to meet the wide range of mathematical needs of the students.

The Proficiency Strands: Understanding, Fluency, Problem-solving and Reasoning are an integral part of the mathematics content. The proficiencies reinforce the significance of working mathematically within the content and describe how the content is explored or developed.

They provide the language to build in the developmental aspects of the learning of mathematics.

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MATHEMATICS

NUMBER AND ALGEBRANumber and algebra are developed together, as each complements the study of the other.

� Students apply number sense and strategies for counting and representing numbers.

� They explore the size and properties of numbers.

� They apply a range of strategies for computation and understand the connections between operations.

� They recognise patterns and understand the concepts of variable and function.

� They build on their understanding of the number system to describe relationships and formulate generalisations.

� They recognise equivalence and solve equations and inequalities.

� They apply their number and algebra skills to conduct investigations, solve problems and communicate their reasoning.

MEASUREMENT & GEOMETRYMeasurement and geometry are presented together to emphasise their relationship to each other, enhancing their practical relevance.

� Students develop an increasingly sophisticated understanding of size, shape, relative position and movement of two-dimensional figures in the plane and three-dimensional objects in space.

� They investigate properties and apply their understanding of them to define, compare and construct figures and objects.

� They learn to develop geometric opinions. They make meaningful measurements of quantities, choosing appropriate metric units of measurement.

� They build an understanding of the connections between units and calculate derived measures such as area, speed and density.

STATISTICS & PROBABILITYStatistics and probability initially develop in parallel and the curriculum then progressively builds the links between them.

� Students recognise and analyse data and draw inferences. � They represent, summarise and interpret data and undertake purposeful investigations involving

the collection and interpretation of data. � They assess likelihood and assign probabilities using experimental and theoretical approaches. � They develop an increasingly sophisticated ability to critically evaluate chance and data concepts and

make reasoned judgements and decisions, as well as building skills, to critically evaluate statistical information and develop intuitions about data.

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HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION

AREAS OF FOCUS

THE CURRICULUM IS DIVIDED INTO THE FOLLOWING 2 STRANDS:

9 PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY HEALTH

9 MOVEMENT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

WHY IS HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION IMPORTANT?At King’s we feel it is critical for every young person to not only be able to cope with life’s challenges but also to flourish as healthy, safe and active citizens in the 21st century.

Students need to be resilient, to develop empathy and to be actively engaged in their own and others’ wellbeing, using health, safety and physical activity resources for the benefit of themselves and their communities.

In Health and Physical Education, students develop the skills, knowledge, and understanding to strengthen their sense of self, and build and manage satisfying, respectful relationships. They learn to build on personal and community strengths and assets to enhance safety and wellbeing. They critique and challenge assumptions and stereotypes.

At the core of Health and Physical Education is the acquisition of movement skills and concepts to enable students to participate in a range of physical activities – confidently, competently and creatively.

As a foundation for lifelong physical activity participation and enhanced performance, students acquire an understanding of how the body moves and develop positive attitudes towards physical activity participation.

They develop an appreciation of the significance of physical activity, outdoor recreation and sport.

Movement is a powerful medium for learning, through which students can practise and refine personal, behavioural, social and cognitive skills.

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SCIENCE

AREAS OF FOCUS

SCIENCE HAS THREE INTERRELATED STRANDS:

9 SCIENCE UNDERSTANDING

9 SCIENCE AS A HUMAN ENDEAVOUR

9 SCIENCE INQUIRY SKILLS

Together, the three strands of the science curriculum provide students with understanding, knowledge and skills through which they can develop a scientific view of the world. At King’s, students are challenged to explore science, its concepts, nature and uses through clearly described inquiry processes.Students can experience the joy of scientific discovery and nurture their natural curiosity about the world around them.In doing this, they develop critical and creative thinking skills and challenge themselves to identify questions and draw evidence-based conclusions using scientific methods. The wider benefits of this ‘scientific literacy’ are well established, including giving students the capability to investigate the natural world and changes made to it through human activity.The ability to think and act in scientific ways helps build the broader set of capabilities in students as confident, self-motivated and active members of our society.

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HASS

HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

The Humanities and Social Sciences learning area includes a study of history, geography, civics and citizenship (from Year 3) and economics and business (from Year 5).

Through studying Humanities and Social Sciences, students develop the ability to question, think critically, solve problems, communicate effectively, make decisions and adapt to change.

Thinking about and responding to issues requires an understanding of the key historical, geographical, political, economic and societal factors involved, and how these different factors interrelate.

At King’s, through the Humanities and Social Sciences curriculum, we aim to ensure that students develop:

• a sense of wonder, curiosity and respect about places, people, cultures and systems throughout the world, past and present, and an interest in and enjoyment of the study of these phenomena

• key historical, geographical, civic and economic knowledge of people, places, values and systems, past and present, in local to global contexts

• an understanding and appreciation of historical developments, geographic phenomena, civic values and economic factors that shape society, influence sustainability and create a sense of belonging

• the capacity to use inquiry methods and skills, including questioning, researching using reliable sources, analysing, evaluating and communicating

• dispositions required for effective participation in everyday life, now and in the future, including critical and creative problem-solving, informed decision making, responsible and active citizenship, enterprising financial behaviour and ethical reflection.

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TECHNOLOGIES

9 DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGIES

9 DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

At King’s, Technologies aims to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to ensure that, individually and collaboratively, students:

� investigate, design, plan, manage, create and evaluate solutions � are creative, innovative and enterprising when using traditional, contemporary and emerging

technologies, and understand how technologies have developed over time � make informed and ethical decisions about the role, impact and use of technologies in the

economy, environment and society for a sustainable future � engage confidently with and responsibly select and manipulate appropriate technologies −

materials, data, systems, components, tools and equipment − when designing and creating solutions

� critique, analyse and evaluate problems, needs or opportunities to identify and create solutions

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGIES ENABLES STUDENTS:

� to become creative and innovative designers.

� to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to become discerning decision-makers.

� to manage projects independently and collaboratively.

� to apply design and systems thinking. � processes to investigate ideas, generate

and refine ideas, plan, produce and evaluate designed solutions.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES: � enable students to be creative and

discerning decision-makers when they select, use and manage data, information, processes and digital systems.

� provides students with practical opportunities to use design thinking and to be innovative developers of digital solutions and knowledge.

� helps students to become innovative creators of digital solutions, effective users of digital systems and critical consumers of information conveyed by digital systems.

� provides students with authentic learning challenges that foster curiosity, confidence, persistence, innovation, creativity, respect and cooperation.

� Digital Technologies help students to be regional and global citizens capable of actively and ethically communicating and collaborating.

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THE ARTS

R-5 FOCUS

THE ARTS COMPRISES FIVE SUBJECTS:

9 DANCE 9 DRAMA 9 MEDIA ARTS 9 MUSIC 9 VISUAL ARTS

PERFORMING ARTSAt King’s, we aim to provide students with a well balanced learning environment where students are actively involved in music, drama and dance. We believe that exposure to each of these areas will enrich the aesthetic, cognitive, physical, sensory and social components of their development. Music and Dance can be the soul’s response to our creator God, who has given us various talents with which to glorify Him. We can use music to worship God (Psalm 150, Psalm 45:1-2 and 48:1-2) to uplift and bless others and as a tool for spreading the Gospel.

We provide a variety of opportunities to perform throughout a school year. The Junior School at King’s offers choirs and music ensemble involvement where students can share their love of music.

R-2 students perform in a nativity as part of our Service Learning Program.

All Year 3 students have the opportunity to be involved in a Musical performance which is presented to the wider King’s community, incorporating music, drama and dance.

Students from Year 4 have the opportunity to participate competitively in structured school aerobics teams, dance troupes and events.

All Year 2 students learn a string instrument – violin, viola, cello or double bass, culminating in a performance to their families.

All Year 5 students learn a wind instrument, flute, clarinet, trumpet or trombone, - developing skills to perform as class bands. Students have the opportunity to continue learning at the end of the wind programme.

MUSIC TUITIONThere is a wide range of instrumental music teachers/tutors offering tuition to students in areas including piano, keyboard, singing, guitar, cello, drums, saxophone, clarinet, bass, violin, trumpet, trombone, flute and clarinet. Hire of most instruments can be arranged through the school.

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THE ARTS

VISUAL ARTSAt King’s, students engage in the study of Art, Craft and Design to create Visual Arts. These are the three key aspects/focus to learning in Visual Arts:

� Art Production – creating/making/presenting � Art History – Past/present contexts � Art Criticism/Aesthetics – How we respond to visual art works personally

ART PRODUCTION � Students progress their skills in the elements of line, shape, colour, pattern and texture. � Students experiment and experience different 2D and 3D media such as clay, painting, printing and

construction.

ART HISTORY � Students learn to recognise characteristics of particular period of art and artists. � Students learn the context in which artworks have been made.

ART CRITICISM/AESTHETICS � Students respond to artworks and make informed judgements about art. � Students describe, analyse, interpret, and judge value of and challenge artworks and art ideas.

THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTEach term under a ‘thematic approach’ concepts such as ‘Egypt’, ‘Angels’ and ‘The Market’ are designed, explored and created. Students are engaged in weekly sequential lessons, in which individual tasks are set.

� Each year level focuses on a different media and aspect of the theme; this is correlated to prior knowledge and skill development.

� Students are motivated to explore ‘hands on’ a variety of media working in both 2D and 3D. � Students develop verbal and literacy skills when responding to artworks and the ‘Artist of the Term’. � Students’ individual artwork is displayed to form a thematic exhibition of R-7 work.

CHRISTIAN ASPECT OF VISUAL ARTS � We always have a Scripture on display in relation to each theme. � Students are encouraged to speak openly about the wonderful things God has created. � In Term 4 we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, with the Christian viewpoint as our thematic

display.KING’S VISUAL ARTS CURRICULUM

King’s Visual Arts Curriculum is therefore a balanced program between learning as artist, designer craftsperson, consumer and critic between two dimensional and three dimensional works and between practical and theoretical activities.

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LANGUAGES

LANGUAGES FOCUS

9 RECOGNITION

9 COMPREHENSION

9 SPEAKING

9 LISTENING

9 WRITING

At King’s we appreciate cultural diversity. We value language learning and offer German language study from Reception to Year 4. In Year 5, students undertake one semester of German and one semester of Japanese as an introduction to language learning in the Middle School. Students then choose to learn Japanese or German from Year 6 to Year 9 and may elect to continue their chosen language in the Senior School.

Culture is intertwined into normal language lessons which gives students an appreciation of how language and culture are so closely linked.

The language focus is on reading, writing, listening and speaking.

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STUDENT DIVERSITY

The following principles underpin our commitment to provide learning programs which cater for diverse student needs.

� All students need to participate in programs which are designed to meet their individual learning needs.

� A differentiated approach within the mainstream classroom assists students experiencing difficulties to achieve success while challenging students who are high achievers to pursue studies in greater depth, and generally at a faster pace.

� Students have a wide range of personalities, abilities, interests, learning styles and levels of motivation. Therefore, a variety of flexible approaches to programming and assessment should be available if all such students are to fulfil their learning potential.

� All teachers have access to appropriate professional development opportunities in differentiating the curriculum and the education of students with diverse learning needs.

� Students come from a range of socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. Therefore, a comprehensive range of identification tools are required to ensure accurate and relevant assessment of student’s individual learning ability and potential.

� It is important to identify students’ particular learning needs as early in their schooling as possible. This allows for early intervention and appropriate strategies to be implemented. Identification methods will vary upon the students under consideration and the program being provided. A range of possible identification methods include a combination of:

� Teacher observation � Parent/teacher checklists � Group intelligence tests � Whole school screening � Individual intelligence tests � Achievement tests

� NAPLAN testing � School assessment and records � Interview and anecdotal records � Student interest inventories/activities � Examples of student work

STUDENT DIVERSITYSome students have needs either short or long term that cannot be met by a differentiated approach in the classroom. These students, once identified may be catered for through a wide variety of support programs conducted at King’s. These intervention programs include:

� Reding Recovery � Emu Maths � Minilit- phonological awareness � Literacy Planet � Jellybeans- gross motor skills � English as a Second Language(ESL) � Small group literacy/numeracy support � Social Skills � Sensory integration