In Year 10, your teenager will choose which subjects they would like to study for their senior years and beyond. Decisions about their future career will become a key focus.
What to expect
The journey for your teenager towards applying for university or choosing a career path starts well before Year 12. In fact, it starts now. Your child will need to make some important decisions about their classes in Year 10. Choices and decisions about their future will take centre stage this year.
Deciding on a career is a big question, of course, but your child really doesn’t have to have all the answers right now. Some teenagers know exactly what they want for their career path, where many more still don’t know what they should choose.
Now they are on the verge of becoming high school seniors, they should start thinking about what really interest them. What do they like learning about? What are they good at? What makes them happy? Taking everything into account is the best way to find the right course and career for after high school.
What does your child learn in Year 10?
There are some variations between states but in Year 10, English, Mathematics, Science, History and Geography, plus Health and Physical Education are generally still compulsory subjects. There’s also PLP, the Personal Learning Plan, which helps Year 10 students to plan for their future and assists them in choosing the subjects they will study in Years 11 and 12.
The Personal Learning Plan is a four-step programme to help students make informed decisions about their learning and future pathways. The core areas are learning about the workplace and learning about themselves. A one-week work experience program is usually included.
One of the biggest changes in Year 10 is that many subjects increase in difficulty. In English, this involves an increase in conceptual difficulty. In subjects like Maths and Science, the technical and research-based knowledge will become much more complex.
The way your child performs in Year 10 will impact their study options for Year 11 and 12. For example, students need to demonstrate considerate ability in Year 10 English to be considered for advanced ATAR courses.
For a full description of the content descriptions of the Australian Curriculum in Year 10, use this link (PDF).
Year 10 Maths is a time to consolidate the complex ideas and methods which will lay the foundation for senior studies. Students build on their algebraic techniques and their application to linear and non-linear graphs. They examine proportion and rates of change and apply then to practical problems. Money and financial mathematics plus data representation and interpretation are also covered this school year.
Year 10 students build on their understanding and practices of trigonometry, congruence, similarity, surface area and volume within real-world contexts. Statistics is further developed to include analysis of bivariate data. Cluey Learning’s Year 10 Maths Advanced programme introduces polynomials, logarithms, surds, circle geometry and functions and prepares students for the rigours of senior studies.
Find out how Cluey can help your child with Maths: https://clueylearning.com.au/year-10-maths/
Year 10 English focuses on building critical and creative thinking, and on teaching students to draw connections between texts. Students are likely to encounter new kinds of texts this year, including hybrids of visual, spoken and written, featuring ethical and global dilemmas, challenging and unpredictable plots. They will be evaluating, comparing and composing increasingly complex writing and performance.
Students will explore how and why writers make choices when constructing texts. They’ll investigate communication, culture and creativity. A wide variety of literary and nonfiction texts from across a range of genres and time periods will be read and analysed, and students will get the opportunity to write creatively for different purposes and audiences.
For Year 10 support with English, Cluey has an ever-expanding bank of resources as well as units ready to help with essays, oral presentations, creative and persuasive writing – plus grammar and spelling to give that final polish.
Find out how Cluey can help your child with English: https://clueylearning.com.au/year-10-english/
Things you can do to help your child do well in Year 10
Organisation and time management skills are still hugely important, as the workload in Year 10 will only increase. This means planning for assessments and scheduling their homework. However, make sure your child is balancing all that study with plenty of fun activities, exercise and socialising. They also need good nutrition and plenty of sleep.
With the right guidance, your teenager will be well prepared for the senior high school years and beyond. As your teen considers their future and what to study in high school, you can help in many ways. For instance, you can encourage them to:
- Make lists of what they like and don’t like to study
- Imagine the type of jobs they can see themselves in
- Connect with people who are working in a field they are interested in
- Explore more than just one favourite career option
- Remember that it’s okay if they don’t know yet or change their mind
Make sure they understand how their selection might impact their ATAR result, emotional wellbeing and tertiary study options. If your child is considering a career in the medical or science field for instance, then suggest STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). Their teachers can also help them choose the subjects that are right for them.
If you feel your child could do with some assistance in Year 10 to help them further in their studies and be better prepared, this is a great time to take advantage of after school study programs or tutoring options such as offered by Cluey Learning. It will help them with confidence, increase test scores and strengthen their love of learning.
How Cluey's tutoring can help your child succeed
If you’ve decided your teenager will benefit from working with an expert tutor, let’s find them the right tutoring program now. Students from schools across Australia choose Cluey for private tutoring, and we have helped thousands of children catch up, keep up or excel in school.
The Cluey team consists of highly qualified teachers, high ATAR achievers and subject matter experts. All our content is mapped to the Australian National Curriculum, and the way we teach is always based on the unique learning needs of each student. Cluey programs cover the topics each student is learning in class, but our tutors specifically address their individual challenges.
The Cluey platform is online, which is why it’s been made possible to source, train and quality-check the most amazing tutors from around Australia. It’s available to any student looking to catch up, build confidence and excel at school, regardless of whether they live in the city, a small town, or in a farming community in the remote north.
Find out more about our high school support and tutoring.
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