Essential Learnings
The Essential Learnings describe the knowledge, understanding and ways of working that students need for ongoing learning, social and personal competence and participation in a democratic society.
The Essential Learnings give:
- teachers clarity about what to teach
- teachers assurance that the essential elements of each key learning area are being addressed, and that their students are learning what the wider community values
- parents and carers confidence that a core curriculum will be offered in all Queensland schools.
While the Essential Learnings are the part of the curriculum that is to be common across all schools, schools continue to have the flexibility to organise their curriculum in ways that meet the needs of their students.
The Essential Learnings are to be used in conjunction with the Assessable elements and descriptors (below) and the Standards.
There are three components of the Essential Learnings:
- Learning and assessment focus
- Ways of working
- Knowledge and understanding
Under each KLA, these components are presented below in PDF format arranged both by year and component.
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Alternatively these documents are also available in Word format
The Arts
- Year 3 Essential Learnings (PDF, 141 kB)
- Year 5 Essential Learnings (PDF, 143 kB)
- Year 7 Essential Learnings (PDF, 144 kB)
- Year 9 Essential Learnings (PDF, 164 kB)
- Learning and assessment focus for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 52 kB)
- Ways of working for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 49 kB)
- Knowledge and understanding for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 67 kB)
English
- Year 3 Essential Learnings (PDF, 159 kB)
- Year 5 Essential Learnings (PDF, 160 kB)
- Year 7 Essential Learnings (PDF, 161 kB)
- Year 9 Essential Learnings (PDF, 161 kB)
- Learning and assessment focus for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 52 kB)
- Ways of working for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 50 kB)
- Knowledge and understanding for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 86 kB)
Health and Physical Education
- Year 3 Essential Learnings (PDF, 141 kB)
- Year 5 Essential Learnings (PDF, 142 kB)
- Year 7 Essential Learnings (PDF, 142 kB)
- Year 9 Essential Learnings (PDF, 141 kB)
- Learning and assessment focus for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 51 kB)
- Ways of working for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 50 kB)
- Knowledge and understanding for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 59 kB)
Languages
- By the end of Beginner Stage Essential Learnings (PDF, 153 kB)
- By the end of Elementary Stage Essential Learnings (PDF, 149 kB)
- By the end of Lower Intermediate Stage Essential Learnings (PDF, 154 kB)
- Learning and assessment focus for Beginner, Elementary, Lower Intermediate Stages (PDF, 51 kB)
- Ways of working for Beginner, Elementary, Lower Intermediate Stages (PDF, 49 kB)
- Knowledge and understanding for Beginner, Elementary, Lower Intermediate Stages (PDF, 61 kB)
Mathematics
- Year 3 Essential Learnings (PDF, 160 kB)
- Year 5 Essential Learnings (PDF, 153 kB)
- Year 7 Essential Learnings (PDF, 156 kB)
- Year 9 Essential Learnings (PDF, 166 kB)
- Learning and assessment focus for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 51 kB)
- Ways of working for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 50 kB)
- Knowledge and understanding for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 104 kB)
Science
- Year 3 Essential Learnings (PDF, 139 kB)
- Year 5 Essential Learnings (PDF, 140 kB)
- Year 7 Essential Learnings (PDF, 142 kB)
- Year 9 Essential Learnings (PDF, 144 kB)
- Learning and assessment focus for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 51 kB)
- Ways of working for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 63 kB)
- Knowledge and understanding for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 63 kB)
Studies of Society and Environment
- Year 3 Essential Learnings (PDF, 153 kB)
- Year 5 Essential Learnings (PDF, 163 kB)
- Year 7 Essential Learnings (PDF, 163 kB)
- Year 9 Essential Learnings (PDF, 154 kB)
- Learning and assessment focus for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 52 kB)
- Ways of working for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 50 kB)
- Knowledge and understanding for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 68 kB)
Technology
- Year 3 Essential Learnings (PDF, 135 kB)
- Year 5 Essential Learnings (PDF, 136 kB)
- Year 7 Essential Learnings (PDF, 135 kB)
- Year 9 Essential Learnings (PDF, 138 kB)
- Learning and assessment focus for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 52 kB)
- Ways of working for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 49 kB)
- Knowledge and understanding for Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 (PDF, 53 kB)
Cross-curriculum priorities
Information and Communication Technologies
- By the end of Year 3 (PDF, 164 kB)
- By the end of Year 5 (PDF, 165 kB)
- By the end of Year 7 (PDF, 173 kB)
- By the end of Year 9 (PDF, 174 kB)
Assessable elements and descriptors
Assessable elements and descriptors (AEDs) support teacher judgments about the standard a student has achieved. The assessable elements are drawn from the dimensions of Ways of working and Knowledge and understanding. They identify the valued features of the KLA to be assessed and can be used together or independently when designing assessment. Descriptors indicate the qualities evident in student work and use an A-E scale.
- The Arts - AEDs (PDF, 83 kB)
- English - AEDs (PDF, 76 kB)
- Health and Physical Education - AEDs (PDF, 87 kB)
- Languages - AEDs (PDF, 85 kB)
- Mathematics - AEDs (PDF, 83 kB)
- Science - AEDs (PDF, 83 kB)
- Studies of Society and Environment - AEDs (PDF, 87 kB)
- Technology - AEDs (PDF, 84 kB)
More information
- Essential Learnings - Information Statement (PDF, 173 kB)
- Position paper: Essential Learnings and Standards (PDF, 405 kB)
- Background paper: Developing Essential Learnings in Queensland (PDF, 168 kB)
Professional development packages
The following package is under development: Using the Essential Learnings to audit school planning.
Last updated: 21 April 2008
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