Much of the way in which we plan for student learning is explicitly informed by the Australian Curriculum (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA] 2015) and particularly its content descriptors and achievement standards. When lesson planning, it is important to observe the relevant year levels content descriptors in order to gain an understanding of the type of learning that students within the year are expected to be exposed to. These content descriptors are the foundation for developing lesson and unit plans which meet students’ educational needs whilst extending and challenging them (ACARA, 2015). To support the development of these lesson and unit plans, the curriculum’s achievement standards are used to provide teachers a statement of what their students should be achieving by the end of the year in each learning area. By identifying students’ current levels of achievement and their next sequential learning goal according to the achievement standards, teachers are able to select appropriate content which will further extend children and assist them in reaching success in their learning (ACARA, 2015).

Each of my lesson plans designed throughout my block placement were based on the Australian Curriculum’s (ACARA, 2015) content descriptors and achievement standards for the foundation year. When planning my lessons, I observed the work that students had previously completed in class and assessed where this learning sat against the curriculum’s achievement standards. Once I understood where the majority of students were against the standard, I identified what the next appropriate goal would be and began to plan around this, obviously accounting and differentiating for students who may have been at a significantly higher or lower level of achievement. For each plan, I selected content descriptors which were achievable although did scaffold student learning by providing new knowledge and adequate challenge.

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) 2015, Australian Curriculum, viewed November 18 2020