Guide to the Victorian Curriculum for Primary Teachers

Victoria's curriculum is the Victorian Curriculum (V-Curr), which has been developed to align with the Australian Curriculum whilst reflecting Victorian priorities. The Victorian Curriculum provides the basis for learning in Victorian schools and encompasses learning from Foundation Year through Year 10.

The Victorian approach emphasises the development of capabilities alongside content knowledge. The curriculum specifies what students should know, understand, and be able to do—integrating knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for success in the modern world.

The Victorian Curriculum organises content into strands within each learning area. Strands represent major conceptual themes, and within each strand, content is organised across achievement levels from Foundation to Level 10. This structure helps teachers identify progression and understand how learning builds across year levels.

For primary teachers, understanding the strands within your learning areas helps you design units that develop conceptual understanding progressively. Rather than isolated lessons, strand-based planning encourages coherent sequences where learning builds.

The Victorian Curriculum describes achievement levels from A to F (Foundation level through Level 10). For primary teachers, this typically means planning for Levels A-D (Foundation through Year 6). These levels describe what students typically demonstrate at each point.

The achievement level descriptors include specific statements of what students should know, understand, and be able to do. Using these descriptors for planning helps ensure your curriculum addresses the full range of learning described in the Victorian Curriculum.

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) provides comprehensive online resources including curriculum documents, sample learning sequences, assessment examples, and professional learning. The Victorian Curriculum Portal provides searchable access to all content descriptors and teaching advice.

Victoria also provides support through the Department of Education with professional learning communities, regional networks, and targeted support for curriculum implementation. Many schools access curriculum support through their Regional Education Improvements Networks.

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Victorian Curriculum Portal (VCAA)

Official portal providing searchable access to all Victorian Curriculum documents, content descriptors, teaching advice, and assessment examples across all learning areas.

Free VIC Official

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The Victorian Curriculum encourages interdisciplinary approaches where learning areas are woven together around meaningful themes. This approach helps students see connections between subject areas and develop more integrated understanding. For instance, a unit on water cycles might integrate science, geography, and English through investigation, discussion, and written reporting.

Many Victorian schools have embraced integrated curriculum design, where teachers plan together to create coherent learning experiences that address multiple achievement levels simultaneously.