Curriculum for new staff

Buku Manapan

This is the cultural theme that informs the focus of aspects of the curriculum across all year levels from Transition to Year 9

For the current buku manapan, click here.

For more buku manapan resources, click here.

NT ILC

All Years

The ILC area is comprised of a separate Language curriculum and Culture curriculum.

The  Culture curriculum, which provides the levels for assessment for Yolŋu Culture learning across all years, can be accessed here.

See  the current buku manapan for the Culture program content details

The language curriculum, which provides the levels for assessment for Yolŋu Matha learning across all years, can be accessed here.

A  'strand to a page' version which may be easier to use is here

There are also 'plain English' versions designed for use with teaching teams. The Writing /Representing strand  can be found here, Reading and Viewing here and Listening and Speaking here.

The Goanna Planner is a text based, whole language program designed to address phonological awareness, phonics, writing, speaking, spelling reading (consolidating the guided reading program mentioned below).  The choice of texts for the goanna planner should be informed by the buku manapan for the term. The LPC team will often have a recommended text for you. A guide for the Goanna Planner program can be accessed here.  

Years T - 3/4

The Guided Reading Program consists of progressive sets of readers and a Teachers' Guide with resources to assist with the development of reading  supported by some writing activities. Printed class sets of books and their associated teachers' guides are available from the LPC room (just knock and ask the friendly LPC team!). Electronic versions of these resources are available from the LPC website.

Years 4 - 9

Goanna Planner activities take a greater role in the upper primary years.  There are still levelled readers that can be used to further develop and consolidate reading at this level however. These are known as 'Tier 2' or 'Phase 2' readers to distinguish them from the early years reading program. These readers can be found in the Yolŋu Matha library. A list of comprehension questions for all Tier 2 readers can be accessed here.

NT EALD

The NT EALD program is the students' pathway to English oracy and literacy. 

Years T - 3/4

The Walking Talking Texts program has a component called the 'Petal Planner'. This component focuses on the development of oral English skills (listening and speaking). 

A Petal Planner guide can be downloaded here.

An example four week unit for the petal planner can be downloaded here.

Years 4 - 9

English literacy is taught largely through the Walking Talking Texts  column planner resource.

For teachers new to the Walking Talking Texts approach, it may be easier to start by using the Goanna Planner guide (normally used for Yolŋu Matha literacy) and apply the same activities to  English texts.

For now, aspects of the Read, Write inc. (RWi) program are used in conjunction with the Walking Talking Texts resource in order to bolster the phonics component. The RWi resources are located in Room 3 in the Ellemor block. Talk to the friendly Ellemor block staff about how they are used.

The PM readers assessment materials are used to assess the progress of Yolŋu students in their English reading. These materials are located in a room off the main library. Ask Marion to show you around. To get a 'ball park' idea of what PM level your students may be working at, this chart gives a correlation between the WRi and PM levels.

Mathematics

Number

Understanding what the number system is and how it works is foundational to understanding nearly all school maths.

The Talking Namba resource was initially designed for early years but is steadily growing to include  material from higher year levels. This resource connects student achievement levels through a detailed progress map, to a selection of hands-on activities designed to move the students on to the next level. The activities draw on EALD strategies and video examples for some of the activities demonstrate delivery in both English and Djambarrpuyŋu.

Measurement

Measurement activities are a good way of consolidating and extending number understanding.  The scaffolded 'Teaching Measurement'  resource provides sequenced hands-on activities for the teaching of measurement knowledge and skills across length, area, volume/capacity and mass.  This resource has an Early Years component as well as more advanced Length and Area and Volume/Capacity and Mass components. The Measurement Progress Map allows you to track your students' growth in this strand and is aligned with the Teaching Measurement resource as well as with the ACARA National Numeracy progressions and the Australian Curriculum levels.

Other Strands

Number and number-oriented measurement activities should make around 80% (four lessons out of five) of mathematics delivery. Understanding how numbers work is central to the development of numeracy based life skills. The other strands can be covered in the remaining time (around an hour per week). Updated progress maps for these areas are currently under development. Recommended resources for the remaining strands include:

Talking about Pattern and Algebra

Teaching Space and Geometry

First Steps: Chance and Data (Chance and Data Diagnostic)

Senior Years

The Senior Years Academic class (SYA) will follow the NTCET curriculum for students to attain their NTCET. The Senior Years Boys and Girls Engagement classes (SYB/SYG) will also follow the NTCET curriculum for particular subjects but will also have a strong workplace and VET focus and literacy and numeracy classes.

In General

Assistant Teachers

• • Your are part of a teaching team. You will work with a Yolngu teaching partner, or 'Assistant Teacher' (Community Teacher), to co-plan and deliver the school curriculum. Your Yolŋu partner will help facilitate communication and understanding in the classroom.  Students are encouraged to develop their first language skills throughout their schooling, including Yolŋu sign language. While you will help with the planning, much of the delivery of these first language skills is the province of the Assistant Teacher.

Reading / Writing

• • Pre-reading skills are taught to parents at FAFT, from birth to 4yo.

  • The formal teaching of English Oracy skills commences in Transition (Petal Planner).  

  • Reading and writing up to grade 3 is in Yolŋu Matha.

  • Formal English reading and writing commences Year 4, alongside Yolŋu Matha

  • As students progress, English plays an increasing role as the classroom language in accordance with the step model of bilingual instruction. NB. Contrary to the appearance of the graphic for the step model, classes do not generally consist of a 'block' of Yolngu Matha and a 'block' of English. During maths lessons for example, particularly in older classes, new concepts may be first explained in Yolŋu Matha and then immediately given their English labels. Yolngu Matha remains the best language for the initial communication of new ideas, even as English begins to predominate classroom interaction. Teaching teams should plan for this.

  • Using Walking Talking Texts for English and our home grown  LPC resources for Djambarrpuyŋu. 

Curriculum.

• • English literacy skills are built on the graphophonic skills students acquire through the development of Yolngu Matha literacy - YM literacy is the foundation of all literacy.

  • All classes use Walking Talking Text as their base for English literacy.

  • Younger students also have Yolŋu Matha (YM) readers and reading program.

  • Older students have Read, Write inc. (RWi) phonics instruction in addition to Walking Talking Texts

  • Talking Namba provides the foundation for building the number component of our Math Curriculum.

Learning Together

• • As a Yolŋu bilingual-biliteracy school we meet for an hour every week to learn about culture and identity from each other (Yolŋu and Balanda), and language and culture in knowing our Yolŋu learners and curriculum delivery. - You are expected to make the most of this free PD session. 

Yellow book

• All planning, organisation, student data, timetable and relief lesson material are printed and maintained in the class teacher's 'Yellow Book'. This is kept in the classroom .