Putting It All Together

NSW Syllabus Matching Grid

The NSW English Syllabus highlights the connection between Understanding Texts and Creating Texts across all focus areas. Students develop their understanding
of texts by engaging with a variety of mentor texts and then use this knowledge as the basis for creating their own texts.
This curriculum-matching grid shows how Seven Steps aligns with the focus areas, related outcomes and literacy learning progressions. Please note, phonological
awareness, print conventions, phonic knowledge, reading fluency, spelling and handwriting are not explicitly covered by Seven Steps and therefore these focus areas
are not included in the grid.
Seven Steps
Step 1: Plan for Success

Step 2: Sizzling Starts

Step 3: Tightening Tension

Step 4: Dynamic Dialogue

Step 5: Show, Don’t Tell

Step 6: Ban the Boring

Step 7: Exciting Endings / Endings with Impact

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 NSW Syllabus Matching Grid

K–2 FOCUS AREAS HOW DOES SEVEN STEPS COVER THIS? STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 6 STEP 7

Oral language and communication The Seven Steps approach encourages students to share their
• Listening for understanding ideas verbally and learn from each other by listening to and
interacting with peers. Students who can verbalise their ideas
• Social and learning interactions
can write more effectively, so Seven Steps activities at all levels
• Oral narrative involve lots of collaboration before, during and after writing.

Outcomes: Students practise and develop their speaking and listening skills
ENE-OLC-01, EN1-OLC-01 by planning, creating and sharing formal and informal spoken
and written texts in groups. Learning from each other builds
Literacy Learning Progressions: students’ confidence when they move on to writing solo.
LiS1, LiS3, LiS4, LiS6, InT3, InT4, InT5, SpK2, SpK3, SpK4

Vocabulary Seven Steps uses a range of exemplars to demonstrate how texts

• Learning and using words communicate meaning at a word and sentence level, as well as
through wordplay, rhyme and subject-specific vocabulary.
Outcomes:
Students also learn the importance of selecting words and
ENE-VOCAB-01, EN1-VOCAB-01 phrases carefully for impact and effect when creating their own
Literacy Learning Progressions: texts and revising their work.
SpK3, CrT3, GrA1

Reading comprehension By discussing and analysing a wide variety of texts as a

• Understanding and connecting sentences class and in groups, Seven Steps develops students’ reading
comprehension skills. It also improves their ability to recall
• Understanding whole text
details from the text, including the techniques used by the
• Recalling details author and the impact those have on the reader.

Outcomes:
ENE-RECOM-01, EN1-RECOM-01

Literacy Learning Progressions:

UnT4, UnT5, UnT6

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 NSW Syllabus Matching Grid (cont’d)

K–2 FOCUS AREAS HOW DOES SEVEN STEPS COVER THIS? STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 6 STEP 7

Creating written texts By immersing students in exemplars, Seven Steps familiarises

• Text features students with the key features of a text and models what great
writing looks like. Students use these exemplars as a starting
• Sentence-level grammar
point when brainstorming ideas and planning their own texts.
• Word-level language Students then experiment with the text and language features
• Planning and revising from existing texts when creating their own texts.

Outcomes: Students learn how to revise their work for enhanced meaning
and effect by refining ideas, reordering and rewording
ENE-CWT-01, EN1-CWT-01
paragraphs and sentences for clarity, and removing unnecessary
Literacy Learning Progressions: or irrelevant content.
CrT5, CrT6, CrT7, GrA4, GrA5, CrT4

Understanding and responding to literature Seven Steps resources expose students to a range of multimodal
• Context exemplars. Students are introduced to different text and
language features and explore how they vary based on purpose,
• Narrative
audience and mode.
• Character
Students then use this knowledge as a starting point for creating
• Imagery, symbol and connotation
their own texts. Creating and recreating the texts they have
• Perspective and argument experienced helps students think like an author and write more
• Representation effectively.

Outcomes: See also the NSW Textual Concepts Matching Grid for more detail
on how Seven Steps covers these key concepts.
ENE-UARL-01, EN1-UARL-01

Literacy Learning Progressions:

UnT3, UnT4, UnT5, UnT6, CrT3, CrT5, CrT7, InT2

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 NSW Syllabus Matching Grid (cont’d)

3–6 FOCUS AREAS HOW DOES SEVEN STEPS COVER THIS? STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 6 STEP 7

Oral language and communication The Seven Steps approach encourages students to share their
• Interacting ideas verbally and learn from each other by listening to and
interacting with peers. Students who can verbalise their ideas
• Listening for understanding
can write more effectively, so Seven Steps activities at all levels
• Presenting involve lots of collaboration before, during and after writing.

Outcomes: Students practise and develop their speaking and listening skills
EN2-OLC-01, EN3-OLC-01 by planning, creating and presenting formal and informal spoken
and written texts in groups for a variety of audiences. Learning
Literacy Learning Progressions: from each other builds students’ confidence when they move on
InT4, InT5, InT6, LiS6, LiS7, SpK5, SpK6, UnT7 to writing and presenting solo.

Vocabulary Seven Steps uses a range of exemplars to demonstrate how texts

• Learning and using words communicate meaning at a word and sentence level, as well as
through figurative language and wordplay.
• Defining and analysing words
Students also learn how to infer meaning and to select words
Outcomes: and phrases carefully for impact and effect when creating texts
EN2-VOCAB-01, EN3-VOCAB-01 and revising their work.
Literacy Learning Progressions:
UnT7, UnT8, UnT9, CrT7, CrT9

Reading comprehension Seven Steps exposes students to a wide variety of persuasive,

• Reading for interest and wide purposes informative and imaginative texts. Students learn how text
structure, features and language vary based on purpose
• Comprehending text structures and features
and audience and how those elements can be enhanced
• Comprehending language for maximum impact. By analysing texts as a class and in
groups, Seven Steps continues to develop students’ reading
Outcomes:
comprehension skills.
EN2-RECOM-01, EN3-RECOM-01

Literacy Learning Progressions:

UnT7, UnT8, UnT9, GrA4

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 NSW Syllabus Matching Grid (cont’d)

3–6 FOCUS AREAS HOW DOES SEVEN STEPS COVER THIS? STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 6 STEP 7

Creating written texts By immersing students in exemplars, Seven Steps familiarises

• Imaginative purposes students with the key features of different text types and models
what great imaginative, informative and persuasive writing looks
• Informative purposes
like. Students use these exemplars as a starting point when
• Persuasive purposes brainstorming ideas and planning their own texts.
• Text features for multiple purposes
Students experiment with the text and language features from
• Sentence-level grammar existing texts when creating their own texts and adapt these to
• Word-level language suit different contexts, audiences and purposes.

Outcomes: Students learn how to revise their work for enhanced meaning
and effect by refining ideas, reordering and rewording
EN2-CWT-01, EN2-CWT-02, EN2-CWT-03, EN3-CWT-01
paragraphs and sentences for clarity, and removing unnecessary
Literacy Learning Progressions: or irrelevant content.
CrT7, CrT8, CrT9, GrA4, GrA5, GrA6

Understanding and responding to literature Seven Steps resources expose students to a range of multimodal
• Narrative exemplars. Students build on their knowledge of different text
and language features and explore how they vary based on
• Characterisation
purpose, audience and mode. Students learn to evaluate how
• Imagery, symbol and connotation text structure and language features influence the audience and
• Genre construct meaning.
• Theme Students then experiment with these text and language features
• Perspective and context when creating their own texts. Creating and recreating the texts
• Argument and authority they have experienced helps students think like an author and
write more effectively.
Outcomes:
See also the NSW Textual Concepts Matching Grid for more detail
EN2-UARL-01, EN3-UARL-01, EN3-UARL-02 on how Seven Steps covers these key concepts.
Literacy Learning Progressions:
UnT7, UnT8, UnT9, CrT8, CrT9

continued on next page

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 NSW Syllabus Matching Grid (cont’d)

7–10 FOCUS AREAS HOW DOES SEVEN STEPS COVER THIS? STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 6 STEP 7

Reading, viewing and listening to texts Seven Steps exposes students to a wide variety of multimodal
• Reading, viewing and listening for meaning texts to model how different texts are structured based on their
context, purpose and audience. From these exemplars, students
• Reading for challenge, interest and enjoyment
learn how the various elements work together to help the reader
• Reflecting construct meaning and influence the reader.

Outcomes: A diverse range of literature, including First Nations texts, is

EN4-RVL-01, EN5-RVL-01 used to reflect the context, language and ideas of different
people, places and times. These exemplars expose students
Literacy Learning Progressions: to different world views, cultures and opinions, which builds
UnT9, UnT10, UnT11, InT7 their understanding, empathy and creativity when creating their
own texts.
By analysing texts as a class and in groups and reflecting on
their learning, students develop their reading comprehension
skills, their understanding of the techniques used by different
authors and the impact they have on the reader.

Understanding and responding to texts Seven Steps resources expose students to a range of multimodal
• Representation exemplars. Students continue to build on their knowledge of
different text and language features and explore how they
• Code and convention
vary based on purpose, audience and mode. Students learn to
• Connotation, imagery and symbol evaluate how text structure and language features influence the
• Point of view audience and construct meaning.
• Characterisation Students then experiment with and adapt these text and
• Narrative language features when creating their own texts. Creating and
• Theme recreating the texts they have experienced helps students think
like an author and write more effectively.
• Perspective and context
• Argument and authority See also the NSW Textual Concepts Matching Grid for more detail
on how Seven Steps covers these key concepts.
• Style
• Genre
• Intertextuality
• Literary value

Outcomes:
EN4-URA-01, EN4-URB-01, EN4-URC-01, EN5-URA-01,
EN5-URB-01, EN5-URC-01

Literacy Learning Progressions:

UnT9, UnT10, UnT11, CrT9, CrT10, CrT11

continued on next page

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 NSW Syllabus Matching Grid (cont’d)

7–10 FOCUS AREAS HOW DOES SEVEN STEPS COVER THIS? STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 6 STEP 7

Expressing ideas and composing texts Students apply their understanding of model texts when
• Writing planning and creating their own written and spoken texts. Seven
Steps teaches students how to think like an author and select
• Representing
appropriate text and language features for different topics,
• Speaking purposes and audiences.
• Text features
Seven Steps helps teachers to model how narrative, persuasive
• Text features: imaginative and informative texts are structured based on their purpose and
• Text features: informative and analytical audience. Students are exposed to a wide variety of multimodal
• Text features: persuasive texts. From these exemplars, students learn how the various
elements of a text work together to create a cohesive text and
• Sentence-level grammar and punctuation
how those elements can be enhanced for maximum impact. They
• Word-level language also learn to create hybrid texts using elements from all three
• Planning, monitoring and revising text types for effect.
• Reflecting Students also learn the importance of selecting words and
phrases carefully to develop plot, character, voice, mood
Outcomes: and meaning. They can summarise, evaluate and synthesise
EN4-ECA-01, EN4-ECB-01, EN5-ECA-01, EN5-ECB-01 information when creating informative texts or structuring an
Literacy Learning Progressions: argument.
CrT9, CrT10, CrT11, InT7, SpK7, SpK8, GrA6, GrA7, PuN7, PuN8, SpG13, Students learn how to revise their work for enhanced meaning
SpG14 and effect by refining ideas, reordering and rewording
paragraphs and sentences for clarity, and removing unnecessary
or irrelevant content.

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