Targeting General Capabilities: Critical & Creative Thinking / Ethical Understanding Years 5-6

The General Capabilities are one dimension of the Australian Curriculum and are taught through the content of the Learning Areas. They involve knowledge, skills, behaviour and dispositions.

There are seven General Capabilities, and this Targeting General Capabilities book examines and assesses two of them:

Critical Thinking

Children learn to generate and evaluate knowledge, clarify concepts and ideas, seek possibilities, consider alternatives and solve problems. The elements explored and assessed are:

• Inquiring, exploring and organising information and ideas
• Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
• Reflecting on thinking and processes
• Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures

Ethical Understanding

Children learn to identify and investigate the nature of ethical concepts, values and character traits, and understand how reasoning can assist ethical judgement. The elements explored and assessed are:

• Understanding ethical concepts and issues
• Reasoning in decision-making and actions
• Exploring values, rights and responsibilities

Each unit begins with a stimulus, supported by activities that examine the element through the different Learning Areas. Self-reflection is encouraged for students to explore what they have learnt and to record their thoughts.

The assessments are tailored to the sub-elements, rather than through the lens of specific Learning Areas, thereby consolidating students' understanding of the concepts and providing guidance for further reflection.

ACARA codes are provided for each unit, linking the activities across the curriculum. Answers for all activities are in the back of the book.