Connecting New & Old Ideas
Look for connections between new ideas and things you already know — how does this fit with what I've learned before?
How to tell they’ve got it
Tick these off as you see them — no test required.
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Try this together
When your child learns something new, do they ever say things like 'oh, that's like...' and connect it to something they already knew?
Where this sits on the map
Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.
Builds on
Thinking Before Startingages 6–7Making connections between new and old ideas requires the habit of activating prior knowledge first
Connecting New & Old Ideasthis skill · ages 7–8
Unlocks
Transferring Skillsages 8–9Recognising transfer opportunities requires the habit of connecting ideas — transfer is connection across subject boundaries
Comparing Characters Across Storiesages 5–9Comparing and contrasting characters or texts draws on the universal habit of connecting new ideas to existing knowledge
Author's word choicesages 7–9Recognising how authorial choices create effects requires connecting your reading experience to existing knowledge of how language and texts work
Spotting Patternsages 7–8Spotting patterns across domains is an extension of the habit of connecting new ideas to existing ones
Understanding People in Their Own Timeages 8–10Historical contextualisation requires connecting a person's actions to the world they inhabited — the same connecting habit used across all subjects
Planning Narrativesages 10–11Drawing on techniques observed in texts read requires the habit of connecting new information to existing knowledge from reading
solid = must come firstdashed = helps
Curriculum alignment
Candidate matches to official curriculum codes — machine-suggested, unreviewed (v0.1).
This skill aligns to ACARA’s General Capabilities rather than a learning-area code.