Year 6 Technologies – Term 1 (WA Curriculum): Digital Systems and Data Security

What this unit covers

In Term 1, Year 6 Technologies in the WA Curriculum centres on the unit “Digital Systems and Data Security”.

Students explore how digital systems represent data using binary code and develop understanding of digital privacy, security, and ethical considerations when using digital technologies.

Lesson sequence (8 lessons)

The unit breaks down into the following lesson-by-lesson sequence — each title below is a teachable lesson, in order:

1. Discovering Digital Systems: How Computers Think in On and Off
2. Binary Basics: Converting Between Zeros, Ones and Numbers
3. Creating Binary Circuits: Building On and Off States
4. How Digital Images Work: From Pixels to Binary Code
5. Your Digital Footprint: What Trail Do You Leave Online?
6. Social Media and Privacy: Understanding Data Collection
7. Protecting Your Digital Identity: Privacy Settings and Safe Practices
8. Digital Citizens: Making Ethical Choices Online

Curriculum codes in this unit

Content codes:

Reading the codes: WA codes (the ones starting with WA) pack the year level, learning area, strand and content number into one string, while the national Australian Curriculum v9 uses a different anatomy that starts with AC9 — same content family, different labels. Our complete WA Curriculum guide decodes both, character by character.

Planning notes for Term 1

WA terms run roughly 9–11 weeks, and in 2026 Term 1 runs from Monday 2 February to Thursday 2 April — 9 weeks for WA public schools. With 8 lessons in this unit, that leaves breathing room for assessment, moderation and the weeks that disappear to carnivals, camps and public holidays — plan the assessable work to land two to three weeks before the end of term rather than in the final week.