The Australian Curriculum, explained
A plain-English guide to the whole Australian Curriculum (set by ACARA, now version 9): what students learn from Foundation to Year 10, how it is organised, and where ChalkBee has free printable worksheets to support it.
How the Australian Curriculum is structured
The Australian Curriculum sets out what every student should learn from Foundation to Year 10. It is built from three parts:
- 8 learning areas (subjects), each split into strands that group related ideas.
- Content descriptions that say what students learn (each has a code like
AC9M3N01), and achievement standards that describe the expected quality of learning by the end of a year. - 7 general capabilities and 3 cross-curriculum priorities woven through every subject (listed below).
Ready to find worksheets? Jump to the Mathematics content descriptions or browse by year level.
The 8 learning areas
Every subject in the curriculum, what it covers, and how much ChalkBee supports it today.
English
Some coverageReading, writing, speaking and listening in Standard Australian English.
On ChalkBee: All three English strands, Foundation to Year 6. Language: phonics (CVC), sight words, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, apostrophes, clauses, verb tense consistency and text connectives. Literature: reading comprehension passages, story elements (character, setting, problem), figurative language (simile and metaphor), poetry devices (rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia), story sequencing and comparing fiction with non-fiction. Literacy: comprehension, handwriting, editing, and writing scaffolds for text type, purpose and structure (narrative, recount, information report, persuasive, procedure). Answer keys are fixed and hand-checked. Extended composition and speaking stay classroom-based.
Explore English βMathematics
Full coverageNumber, algebra, measurement, space and statistics, built for fluency and reasoning.
On ChalkBee: Every Mathematics content description Foundation to Year 10 is documented, and every Foundation to Year 6 description has a ready-made worksheet whose answer key is computed in code, so it is never wrong.
Explore Mathematics βScience
Some coverageUnderstanding the biological, chemical, physical and earth-and-space sciences.
On ChalkBee: Worksheet sets across all four Science Understanding sub-strands, Foundation to Year 6: biological (plants, life cycles, animal groups, habitats, food chains, adaptations, classifying), chemical (materials, states of matter, reversible and irreversible changes), physical (forces, magnets, simple machines, light and sound, heat, electricity and energy), and earth and space (weather, seasons, day and night, rocks and soils, the solar system, extreme weather). Plus science inquiry vocabulary (predict, observe, record, conclude, fair tests) and 'how science works' sheets. Hands-on investigations stay classroom-based.
Explore Science βHumanities and Social Sciences (HASS)
Some coverageHistory, geography, civics and citizenship, and economics and business.
On ChalkBee: History: family history and 'then and now', local community history, First Australians, explorers, the First Fleet, colonial Australia, the gold rush and Federation, plus timelines and primary and secondary sources. Geography: Australian states, capitals, cities and neighbours, continents and oceans, mapping skills, climate, landforms and world capitals (also UK and USA). Civics and Citizenship (Years 3-6): rules and laws, local government, the three levels of government, democracy and voting, Australian symbols and national days, and being a citizen. Economics and Business (Years 5-6): needs and wants, goods and services, natural, human and capital resources, consumers and producers, opportunity cost, and saving and budgeting. Still growing: deeper Geography environments and inquiry-skill sheets.
Explore Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) βThe Arts
Some coverageMaking and responding across five art forms.
On ChalkBee: Music theory printables: treble clef note names (E G B D F and F A C E), note and rest values, the musical alphabet, dynamics, tempo terms, instrument families and time signatures. Visual Arts printables: colour mixing (primary and secondary), warm and cool colours, the colour wheel, the elements of art, types of lines, 2D shapes and 3D forms, art mediums and tools. Plus colouring and colour-by-number activities. Answer keys are fixed and hand-checked. Dance, Drama and Media Arts are practical (making and performing), so they stay classroom-based.
Explore The Arts βTechnologies
Some coverageDesigning solutions and thinking computationally.
On ChalkBee: Digital Technologies printables: algorithms as step sequencing, branching (if-then decisions), parts of a computer, input and output devices, binary numbers (converted in code so answers are never wrong) and age-appropriate online safety. Design and Technologies printables: the design process (investigate, generate, produce, evaluate) and materials and their properties. Related pattern and sequencing worksheets also live under Critical Thinking. Answer keys are fixed and hand-checked. Hands-on making and real coding stay classroom-based.
Explore Technologies βHealth and Physical Education
Some coverageHealthy, active living and personal and social wellbeing.
On ChalkBee: Personal, Social and Community Health printables: food groups and healthy eating, the body systems, the five senses, hygiene, dental health, exercise and sleep, road, water, personal and sun safety (Australia's Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide), naming feelings, manners, kindness, friendship and growth mindset. Factual sheets use fixed matching and fill-in answer keys; reflective wellbeing sheets use open writing prompts. Movement and Physical Activity is practical, so it stays classroom-based.
Explore Health and Physical Education βLanguages
PlannedCommunicating in a language other than English.
On ChalkBee: Planned: beginner vocabulary and alphabet tracing for popular languages.
Explore Languages β7 general capabilities
Skills developed across every subject, not just one.
- β’Literacy
- β’Numeracy
- β’Digital Literacy
- β’Critical and Creative Thinking
- β’Personal and Social Capability
- β’Ethical Understanding
- β’Intercultural Understanding
3 cross-curriculum priorities
Themes embedded across the whole curriculum.
- β’Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures
- β’Asia and Australia's Engagement with Asia
- β’Sustainability
Find worksheets for the curriculum
Every Mathematics content description is documented Foundation to Year 10, with ready-made worksheets strongest Foundation to Year 6 and answer keys computed in code so they are never wrong.
Learning-area and capability names are from the Australian Curriculum (ACARA v9). Descriptions are paraphrased in our own words. See v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au.