English T/A

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Year 12 English

All students are required to complete a Major in English. Due to the implementation of the new English courses integrating Australian Curriculum, the current Year 12 courses in English will cease when the 2015 Year 12 cohort graduates. 

There are three English courses offered and the process by which students move into an English course in Years 11 and 12 begins in Year 10. Students desiring to undertake the most challenging English course (English Extended) must demonstrate an ability to read and comprehend lengthy and complex texts, an ability to write with fluency and technical control and the maturity to work independently and assiduously. Student placement in English courses is decided on at the end of Year 10 based on student achievement across seven pieces of assessment and reviewed after the first assessment task in Term 1 of Year 11 to ensure students are in the most appropriate course.

English For Living (A)                                      

This course is offered in Years 11 and 12 as an alternative to the Tertiary (T) English course. It is designed for students whose main interests and strengths are in non-literary fields. The main emphasis in this course is on developing practical skills, particularly in writing, reading and oral expression. It also aims at increasing students’ confidence in expressing their ideas and in promoting their enjoyment of reading. English for Living will be of special benefit to those intending to move immediately into employment from school or who are intending to apply to study at the CIT. The units offered are selected from the following.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
This is an introductory unit covering fundamental language and writing skills. Particular emphasis will be placed on how to develop writing skills such as punctuation, paragraphing and the organisation of essays. A variety of written material will be studied for reading, comprehension and language usage.

ADOLESCENTS’ AND CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
This unit is aimed at developing students’ expressive and descriptive writing skills through a study of literature. Using a wide variety of literature – fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama – students will be encouraged to express their own ideas imaginatively and creatively. Language and writing skills covered in Unit 1 will be reinforced and developed. Students will be encouraged to read widely in this unit.

AUSSIE IMAGES
This unit provides an opportunity for students to examine critically, Australians and their culture as depicted in literature and films. Students will be encouraged to read a wide variety of Australian literature, both traditional and recent. Emphasis will be given to poetry, short stories and non-fiction material, as well as novels and films.

ENGLISH FOR WORK
A large practical component has been included in this unit to provide students with reading, writing, research and organisational skills relevant to interview situations, job applications, employment and leisure. Practical skills include applications for loan, rental and lease agreements, medical and insurance cover. Students will study some literature related to the theme and will be encouraged to read for pleasure. Oral skills will be emphasised as an important part of the unit.

LIFE STORIES
Students will have the opportunity to read, discuss and critically appraise a range of personal stories including short biographies and newspaper and magazine profiles. They will view and appraise a selection of documentaries and short films as well as collect personal stories. They will also communicate stories using a variety of form, style and media including visual and electronic media.44

PRINT AND MULTIMEDIA TEXTS
Students will examine, discuss and evaluate the content and features of a variety of print, electronic and other multimedia texts. These may include the journalistic styles and purposes in broadsheet and tabloid newspapers, current affairs programs, TV news presentations and popular magazines. They may also examine and discuss the multimodal nature of advertising and the way visuals, writing and advertising are used to convey messages. The function and purpose of websites will also be examined.

Integrated English (T)

This course is designed to meet the needs and interests of students who have achieved reasonable proficiency in language skills and who wish to develop further their competence and confidence in language usage. It concentrates on developing writing, listening and speaking skills and increasing students’ appreciation of literature as a source of enjoyment and social comment. The units offered are selected from the following.

CONFLICT
This unit is intended to promote students’ understanding of the importance of conflict as the basis
of much literature. Students will be encouraged to consider the social significance of conflict and to
evaluate the sources, consequences and resolution of conflicts.

CRIME FICTION
Students taking this unit will gain an understanding of the narrative styles, techniques and
conventions of the genre. They will also look at the development of crime fiction over time as well
as the evolution of subject matter used in the genre including the roles of science, women and
technology.

WRITING WORKSHOP
This unit will encourage creativity and freedom of expression in writing. The aim is to promote
students’ confidence in their creative skills and to develop skills in communicating with diverse
audiences.

CULTURAL IDENTITY

Students undertaking this unit will critically examine and respond to cultural beliefs and value
systems as presented in a variety of literature. They will also explore the relationship between
language and cultural identity and reflect upon the relevance of the literature to their own cultural
heritage.

JOURNEYS IN LITERATURE
The specific goals of this unit are for students to explore and respond to a variety of writing with a
spiritual or physical journey theme. They will also examine some information texts on travel and
produce some journey writing of their own.45

OPINIONS AND OBSERVATIONS
It is intended that students will critically appraise a range of feature writing in magazines and assess
as well as respond to a variety of film and television documentaries. They will evaluate content in
terms of purpose, audience, medium, structure and style.

OUT OF AFRICA
This unit offers texts of and about Africa. Students will be able to examine African and non-African
views and experiences as represented in the works studied and gain some understanding of how texts
are shaped by the contexts in which they are produced and the particular perspective of the writer.

PAGE TO SCREEN
It is intended that students learn to recognise and appreciate some of the techniques used in film and
in the novel. The potential and the limitations of the genres will be examined and students will make
some critical judgements of their own.

PERCEPTIONS OF WOMEN IN LITERATURE
This unit is intended to promote students’ understanding of the variety and impact of images of
women presented by literature and the media, and to examine the perspectives of women writers.

PERSPECTIVES
A range of prose works, drama and poetry will be studied in this unit to help the student gain some
appreciation of the insights offered by literature into human nature and society.

FANTASY AND SPECULATIVE FICTION
The origins and elements of the fantasy genre will be studied in this unit. Students will identify and
analyse some characteristic themes and techniques in a range of fantasy and speculative fiction. They
will also create their own fantasy world.

SURVEY OF AUSTRALIAN LITERATURE
This unit will introduce students to Australian writing and increase student awareness of the way
literature reflects Australian attitudes and culture. A selection of poetry, drama and prose works will
be studied.

THE OUTSIDERS
The theme of this unit is alienation in society. The literature studied will allow students to gain an insight
into how writers present themes of disaffection and loneliness, as well as the positive aspects of being
an outsider.

THE PLAY’S THE THING
Shakespeare the dramatist will be the focus of this unit so his plays will be considered as the raw
material for performance. Shakespeare’s life, the context in which he wrote and Elizabethan theatre
will be examined.

VIEWS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
This unit aims to familiarise students with a range of viewpoints and opinions as expressed in
twentieth century literature and in current and recent periodicals.

English Extended (T)

This course is designed to meet the needs and interests of those students who wish to experience a wide range of challenging literature and who wish to study literature in depth. It is also aimed at giving an insight into how literature relates to and reflects the social context in which it is written. The units offered are selected from the following.

LITERATURE OF THE USA
This unit will provide students with an opportunity to gain an insight into the historical and
contemporary perspective of literature of the United States of America and an awareness of the values,
cultures and perceptions of that nation.

AUSTRALIAN LITERATURE
In this unit a wide variety of Australian literature will be examined. The aim is to foster an interest in
Australian writing and to familiarise students with issues and ideas presented in Australian writing which
reflect an Australian identity.

HEROES IN LITERATURE
The hero in literature is the focus of this unit. The literature read and studied is aimed at increasing
the student’s awareness of the notion of the hero and how a particular hero may reflect a society or be
created by that society.

IRISH WRITERS
This unit will give students the chance to explore the scope and richness of the contribution of Irish
writers to the body of English texts. As well as gaining an understanding of the language and writing
techniques used, students will examine the works to determine the ways in which they reflect the Irish
experience and to assess the unique qualities of the works.

TEXTS IN TIME
This unit is designed to give students a very broad historical perspective of the development of English
literature and offer an insight into the major influences affecting its development.

MODERN DRAMATISTS
This unit is intended to provide students with an understanding of the range and scope of modern drama
and of the possibilities of drama as a means of artistic expression.

SOME MODERN WRITERS
This unit is intended to foster students’ interest in modern and contemporary writing. Developments in
twentieth and twenty-first century writing, influences affecting writers and the imaginative treatment of
political, social and moral issues will be explored.

THE SPIRITUAL DIMENSION IN LITERATURE
This unit will seek to examine ways in which the spiritual dimension of human existence is reflected in
literature through a close study of poetry and prose with a religious theme.

TRAGEDY
This unit is designed to trace the development of tragedy as an art form and to increase students’
awareness of the role of tragedy in drama in the context of society.

VOICES OF THE AMERICAS
This unit will offer the opportunity to explore and respond to a range of literature of and about the
Americas. Techniques and styles of writers from different cultures and the relationship between literature
and the cultural, historical and political context in which it was written will be examined.

SPECIAL STUDY
This unit will be available in Year 12 to those students completing a Double Major or Major/Minor who
have achieved a highly competent standard in previous units. Students will study an area of language
or literature which is of special interest to them. Students taking this unit will work with a supervising
teacher. Special Study is also available as a half semester unit.

SPECIAL STUDY A
This is a half semester unit where the content is also negotiated. Under supervision, students select and
study an area of literature which is of special interest to them. There is an emphasis on reading, research
and a variety of responses.

Year 11 English (Integrating Australian Curriculum)

From 2015, there will be three courses in English that integrate Australian Curriculum. Two are Tertiary, one is Accredited. Each subject is a 4-unit course taken sequentially over two years. Students wishing to study a double major in English will do both Tertiary courses.

Literature T

The Literature course is a close study of literature and aims to engage students in the detailed study of literary texts. This course deepens students’ appreciation of literary texts to enrich understanding of human experiences. The units offered are:

  • Ways of Reading and Creating
  • Intertextuality
  • Power of Literature
  • Literary Interpretations

 

English T

The English course is a critical study of literature, media and language in which students engage with a variety of texts in all language modes (writing, reading, speaking and listening). The units offered are:

  • Communication of Meaning
  • Representation
  • Comparison of Texts
  • Perspectives

 

Essential English A

The Essential English course is designed to develop students’ literacy skills in a more practical way. Students expand their ability to understand, evaluate and communicate effectively in and for a range of contexts. The units in this course include:

  • Comprehending and Responding
  • Making Connections
  • Understanding Perspectives
  • Local and Global