Learning and development areas

Communicating: Learning and development area

The foundation for children becoming effective citizens is their development of language, literacy and numeracy. Being able to communicate is fundamental to children’s everyday lives, including their ability to express their ideas and feelings, to question, to learn, to connect and interact with others. Children feel a strong sense of identity and connectedness when their ways of communicating are valued in the kindergarten environment.

Exploring and engaging with literacy through reading, viewing, listening, writing, speaking and creating in personally meaningful ways supports a kindergarten child to become an effective communicator. Numeracy is the capacity, confidence and disposition to use mathematics in everyday situations.

Key focus: Exploring and expanding language

Teachers use intentional teaching practices such as:

modelling the use of language (SAE, first language, signed or AAC) to communicate
identifying new vocabulary and language patterns in songs, stories and rhymes
making connections to how language is used for various purposes, such as explaining, describing and imagining
identifying ways to listen, respond to others and take turns in conversations.

Significant learning knowledge, skills and dispositions	Emerging phase In familiar situations with explicit support	Exploring phase in familiar situations with occasional support	Extending phase in new situations with occasional prompting
Using language/s, including signing
interacting and communicating	attempts to communicate using spoken/signed or alternative communication uses nonverbal strategies, e.g. answers a question by pointing	communicates using spoken/signed, alternative communication or nonverbal strategies to make meaning uses nonverbal strategies and spoken/signed language to communicate interests	confidently communicates using spoken/signed, alternative communication or nonverbal strategies to make meaning uses words/signs to communicate, e.g. greets others, explains a game to a friend
developing speech patterns and pronunciation	copies age-appropriate speech patterns repeats/signs familiar sounds and words, although some words are unintelligible to an unfamiliar listener	uses age-appropriate speech patterns speech is intelligible to an unfamiliar listener, but age-appropriate speech/pronunciation errors are evident	uses speech sounds, with errors on more difficult sounds uses age-appropriate speech sounds, e.g. ‘fink’ instead of ‘think’
expanding vocabulary	attempts new vocabulary and sentence construction uses 3–5 words in a sentence but overuses ‘-ed’ for past tense, e.g. ‘My dad goed there.’	uses wider vocabulary and more complex sentences uses words like ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘because’ to make longer sentences and uses personal pronouns more accurately	uses more well-formed sentences constructs sentences that show the beginning, middle and end of a story
Listening and responding
developing listening behaviours	attempts to use listening strategies demonstrates listening by looking at the person who is talking	uses listening strategies demonstrates listening by responding to questions in short conversations	confidently demonstrates listening strategies responds to questions and contributes to ongoing conversations
responding to show listening	responds in short exchanges answers a question about a topic of personal interest	takes turns to respond in conversations negotiates whose turn is next with their peers	responds and takes turns in extended conversations has an extended conversation with peers to organise a game

Key focus: Exploring literacy in personally meaningful ways

Teachers use intentional teaching practices such as:

explaining the purposes of different texts and how they can be used
making connections between sounds and letters, starting with initial sounds in children’s names
listening to children’s oral language, including sounds and letters
explaining how children can use sounds, letters, words and sentences to communicate
identifying the sounds, symbols and visual images that children attend to when ‘reading’
encouraging and reinforcing children’s attempts at writing.

Significant learning knowledge, skills and dispositions	Emerging phase In familiar situations with explicit support	Exploring phase in familiar situations with occasional support	Extending phase in new situations with occasional prompting
Engaging with different texts
understanding the purposes of text	explores and identifies familiar texts answers questions about the purpose of a text, e.g. says, ‘This book is about a teddy.’	identifies the purpose of texts identifies the purpose of texts, e.g. ‘This is a fairytale.’	independently identifies and explains the purpose of texts identifies and explains the purpose of texts, e.g. ‘That’s Goldilocks and she ate the porridge.’
making connections between texts and personal experiences	makes connections between familiar texts and personal experiences talks about animals in stories and connects these to pets	identifies connections between texts and personal experiences shows others a beetle they have found and a picture of one in a book	identifies and explains connections between texts and personal experiences makes a connection between a news story about a volcanic eruption and an informative text
Exploring sounds and letters
talking about sounds and letters	is aware that letters have sounds recognises the beginning sound or letter of their name	identifies sound–letter relationships identifies familiar letters, e.g. from own name and names of others	identifies and describes the relationships between sounds and letters points to letters in their name and sounds out, e.g. ‘L–i–a–m,’ for Liam
exploring sound–letter relationships	joins in simple rhymes repeats familiar rhymes	remembers simple rhymes identifies simple rhyming sounds, e.g. ‘Cat and mat sound the same’	invents simple rhymes and finger plays experiments and plays with sounds, e.g. makes rhymes like ‘orange’ and ‘porange’
Exploring reading and writing
understanding the relationship between words and images	explores the relationship between words and images points to and names an image	understands that spoken words can be written and interprets images tells a familiar story by pointing to the pictures	understands the connection between words and images and how images add meaning links words and pictures in a story
exploring reading behaviours	identifies familiar symbols or logos interprets visuals to find their name card or locker, e.g. pictures or photos	shows interest in reading pictures and words selects texts and uses reading behaviours, e.g. chooses story and shares it with others	approximates reading with familiar and new texts asks an adult to read a text with them, e.g. asks, ‘What does this writing say?’
developing writing behaviours	attempts mark-making/writing makes marks, e.g. drawing with the large crayons	attempts to write or copy letters and words experiments with ways to ‘write’ using lines, shapes, symbols and some familiar letters	copies and attempts to write words copies and writes their name
making connections between mark-making/writing and personal experiences	gives meaning to their mark-making/writing points to their mark-making and says, ‘That’s my dad.’	uses mark-making/writing to convey a message in roleplay, ‘writes’ a prescription or records an appointment	shares their writing to convey a message copies some letters/words from the environment to make a sign

Key focus: Exploring numeracy in personally meaningful ways

Teachers use intentional teaching practices such as:

making connections to mathematical concepts in everyday contexts
explaining the numbers, counting, ordering and comparing
encouraging children to use mathematical language
identifying similar attributes to form sets of objects and comparing the number of objects in small collections
making connections to patterns in everyday environments, paintings, constructions, dances and/or architecture.

Significant learning knowledge, skills and dispositions	Emerging phase In familiar situations with explicit support	Exploring phase in familiar situations with occasional support	Extending phase in new situations with occasional prompting
Exploring mathematical concepts in everyday life
exploring measurement	talks about size, quantities and time explores ideas and uses everyday language to talk about time, e.g. ‘It’s time for mummy to come.’	describes sizes, quantities and time uses descriptive words to talk about familiar events, e.g. ‘My drink bottle is almost full.’	describes and compares sizes, quantities and time explores ideas and approximates using everyday language to talk about time, e.g. watches the timer and says, ‘It’s my turn when the timer finishes.’
using everyday language to describe shapes, directions and positions	understands the language of shapes, positions and directions identifies shapes, e.g. points to the circle when asked	describes shapes, positions and directions uses everyday language to talk about shapes, e.g. ‘The triangle has points like a star.’	describes and compares shapes, positions and directions recognises shapes in a range of contexts, e.g. rectangles in pictures, puzzles, on clothing
problem-solving in everyday situations	identifies everyday problems copies others using mathematical ideas to solve problems, e.g. copies a play partner to add a long block to their bridge	describes and attempts to solve problems using mathematical thinking suggests ways to solve a problem, e.g. using a broom to retrieve a hat from a tree	describes and solves problems using mathematical thinking explains solutions to problems, e.g. ‘I made the walls higher so we could fit inside our building.’
Exploring counting and patterns
exploring counting	identifies attributes of objects and attempts counting attempts to count, e.g. holds up four fingers when asked their age	identifies attributes of objects and counts in sequence sorts everyday objects by more than one attribute, e.g. places all the yellow ones together and may skip sequence when counting	independently assesses sizes of sets, using one-to- one correspondence to count in sequence identifies items and counts in sequences, e.g. looks at the dice and points to each dot while counting
recording quantity	notices others recording quantity notices matching objects and, with scaffolding, describes using numbers, e.g. ‘I have two shoes.’	uses numerals, tallies or visual representations to describe quantity uses a tally to indicate how many targets were knocked over for their turn in a game	experiments with numerals, tallies or visual representations to describe quantity indicates how many targets were knocked over for their turn in a game
developing awareness of patterns	notices simple patterns points out patterns of bricks in the environment	notices and creates simple patterns collects natural items and places them in a pattern	describes and creates patterns makes a pattern of recurring shapes and colours

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Intentional teaching: Communicating

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Last updated:: 30 November 2023

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Learning and development areas

Communicating: Learning and development area

Key focus: Exploring and expanding language

Key focus: Exploring literacy in personally meaningful ways

Key focus: Exploring numeracy in personally meaningful ways

Resources

Learning and development areas