English – Stage 1 – Second year – units
Second year sample units are designed for later concept development of Stage 1 outcomes, regardless of students’ year level.
NSW students in Years 1 and 2 may be working towards Stage 1 outcomes from the English K-2 Syllabus. Teachers should exercise professional judgement in determining the suitability of teaching and learning experiences in meeting the needs of your students.
Twenty sample units for Stage 1, second year will be available for download, released in a phased manner across 2022 and 2023.
Syllabus
Syllabus outcomes and content descriptors from English K-10 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2021.
These units are cumulative and are designed to be taught in numerical order.
A suggested term-by-term approach, aligned with the department’s scope and sequence is outlined below, including the mentor textual concept(s) and unit description.
Unit 21 – Context
Students explore the purpose and importance of an Acknowledgement of Country and the differences to a Welcome to Country. Students make connections to their own context and that of Aboriginal communities across NSW. Students write to convey their own personal story of belonging.
Stage 1 Second year Unit 21 – Context (DOCX 669 KB)
Unit 22 – Narrative
Students build on their understanding of narrative text structure by reading texts that contain a circular ending. Experiences with adding language and dialogue to textless picture books will be included before students create their own short circular narrative.
Stage 1 Second year Unit 22 – Narrative (DOCX 4 MB)
Unit 23 – Character
Students explore how characters can be real or imagined – or a combination of both. They will also be provided with opportunities to engage with multiple text forms including timetables, diary entries, information reports, and diagrams.
Stage 1 Second year Unit 23 – Character (DOCX 1.5 MB)
Unit 24 – Perspective and argument
Students build on their understanding of perspective and argument through exploring animal characters with human characteristics. They will have opportunities to engage with informative texts and explore how information can be used to support opinions in persuasive texts.
Stage 1 Second year Unit 24 – Perspective and argument (DOCX 1.8 MB)
Unit 25 – Imagery, symbol and connotation
Students explore how figurative language can be used to build rich descriptions of places, people and experiences. They will innovate from mentor and supporting texts to compose poems.
Stage 1 Second year Unit 25 – Imagery, symbol and connotation (DOCX 2.3 MB)
Unit 26 – Representation
Students learn how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories are represented in Dreaming stories, focusing on the features, behaviours and characteristics of animals.
Stage 1 Second year Unit 26 – Context (DOCX 403 KB)
Unit 27 – Context
Students deepen their understanding of context by exploring how the language and form of texts varies according to purpose. They will draw on their knowledge of text purpose, language and form to compose texts for a range of purposes.
Stage 1 Second year Unit 27 – Context (DOCX 3.6 MB)
Unit 28 – Narrative
Students deepen their understanding of narrative through the study of well-known fables. Students have opportunities to both innovate from studied texts and generate their own ideas to write narratives that convey a message.
Stage 1 Second year Unit 28 – Narrative (DOCX 320 KB)
Unit 29 – Character
Students explore how a character's feelings and traits can be described through the way they experience and interact with the world. They will use figurative language to compose literary descriptions of real and/or imagined characters, including their traits and lived experiences.
Stage 1 Second year Unit 29 – Character (DOCX 539 KB)
Unit 30 – Imagery, symbol and connotation
Students learn how figurative language such as metaphors, onomatopoeia and similes can be used to create rich descriptions of events and experiences. They will innovate from mentor and supporting texts and apply their understanding of figurative language to compose descriptive narratives.
Stage 1 Second year Unit 30 – Imagery, symbol and connotation (DOCX 579 KB)
Unit 31 – Perspective and argument
Students will deepen their understanding of perspective and argument through a study of fractured fairy tales. They will explore how arguments can be presented from different perspectives and use extended text features to enhance their writing. Students will innovate from familiar narratives to compose persuasive texts that present a different perspective.
Stage 1 Second year Unit 31 – Perspective and argument (DOCX 1.3 MB)
Unit 32 – Representation
Students will build on their understanding of how cultures and traditions can be represented in texts. They will engage with texts that depict real and imagined representations of significant people from various cultures and backgrounds. Students will explore how cultural representations can be shared through creative visual features.
Stage 1 Second year Unit 32 – Representation (DOCX 885 KB)
Unit 33 – Context
Students will build on their understanding of context by engaging with narratives based on the experiences of asylum seekers and refugees. They will explore how situations can be represented in texts and consider how visual features support and deepen meaning.
Stage 1 Second year Unit 33 – Context (DOCX 3.9 MB)
Unit 34 – Narrative
Students will build on their understanding of narrative, exploring how narrative patterns establish audience expectations and inform predictions. They will explore how figurative language can be used to create rich descriptions, evoke feelings and support understanding of stories.
Stage 1 Second year Unit 34 – Narrative (DOCX 3.6 MB)
Unit 35 – Character
Students will build on their understanding of how characters can be represented by their appearance, actions and traits. They will consider how authors draw on common lived experiences to construct characters through text and illustrations.
Unit 36 – Perspective and argument
Students will build on their understanding of perspective and argument. They will explore how authors can attribute human characteristics to non-human characters to evoke emotional response from the audience and promote connections to personal experiences. Students will consider how text structure and use of images can reinforce ideas.
Stage 1 First year Unit 36 – Perspective and argument (DOCX 1.6 MB)
Unit 37 – Representation
Students will deepen their understanding of representation by identifying and exploring cultural representations in print and audio texts. They will explore oral storytelling traditions and consider how personal histories and traditions can be represented through storytelling.
Stage 1 First year Unit 37 – Representation (DOCX 195 KB)
Unit 38 – Imagery, symbol and connotation
Students will build on their understanding of imagery, symbol and connotation by exploring intertextuality. They will consider how the relationships between and within texts help shape meaning and consider how images and symbols bring deeper meaning.
Stage 1 First year Unit 38 – Imagery, symbol and connotation (DOCX 2 MB)
Unit 39 – Character
Students will explore how reader response to a character can be created through language, dialogue, actions, images and music. They will engage with well-known literature and innovate from mentor and supporting texts to compose literary descriptions of characters. This unit directly supports learning in Unit 40.
Stage 1 First year Unit 39 – Character (DOCX 544 KB)
Unit 40 – Narrative
This unit builds directly on learning from Unit 39. Students will deepen their understanding of narrative and make connections with their understanding of character. They will consider how visual elements can enhance meaning and discuss how narrative patterns and structures support predictions and evoke feelings. Students will innovate from mentor and supporting texts to compose rich texts.