English

Year 7 • ENGLISH

OVERVIEW With a focus on learning about who we are as readers and writers, students in Year 7 English engage with a wide range of texts across various genres, including narrative, persuasive and poetry. By using a range of reading strategies, students immerse themselves in reading while enhancing their understanding of the text. In the Reader’s Notebook, there is a focus on noticing the important details of a text and the choices made by the author to create meaning. While in the Writer’s Notebook, students are encouraged to experiment creatively with these strategies in their own writing. Through participation in Literature Circles, students are encouraged to discuss their thinking while learning from their peers. OVERVIEW In Year 8 English, students continue to discover their own interests and passions across a range of texts from various genres, including film, narrative and persuasive. Across the year, there is a focus on noticing themes and analysing the intended impact of choices made by the author while also implementing this into their own writing with an increased awareness of target audience and purpose. Students are encouraged to experiment in creating and crafting their own short films, stories, and opinion pieces. Students continue to work with their Reader’s and Writer’s Notebooks to organise their thinking.

Year 8 • ENGLISH

Year 9 • ENGLISH

OVERVIEW Year 9 English continues the journey of uncovering your own voice as a reader and a writer. Over the year, students build on their work with the Reader’s and Writer’s Notebooks as they respond analytically to persuasive, informative and creative texts, with increasing focus on the author’s craft and text composition. Students also increase the sophistication of their own writing, showing greater awareness of audience and purpose in the selection of their ideas and language.

Year 10 • ENGLISH

OVERVIEW English is a core subject in Year 10 that continues to build on the skills, knowledge and thinking developed in the middle years. It introduces students to the expectations of VCE English study and is a taste of the assessments and learning to come. We understand the importance of student choice and so offer students the opportunity to select their text from a recommended text list, prior to the subject selection closing date.

READING Students are required to read texts prior to studying them in class. Familiarity with the texts will determine the level of success achieved. Students may choose one of the texts themselves. WRITING Students continue to hone their writing skills using both analytical and creative techniques. We believe the ability to communicate through the written word is crucial regardless of age, interests or goals.

SPEAKING One oral presentation is required in Year 10. This experience is nerve-wracking for some (many!), but the sense of achievement after tackling a challenging experience is exhilarating. We can’t wait to hear students persuade their audience through words and persona.

ENGLISH

Year 10 • ENGLISH LANGUAGE ELECTIVE

SUBJECT LENGTH: SEMESTER UNIT VALUE: ONE

OVERVIEW Through this course, you will develop a technical understanding of how English works as a language, as well as explore the social attitudes and identities reflected in our language use. We will build a bank of metalanguage terms which are applied to real-world contexts, and students are encouraged to bring examples from their observations, social media and their own experiences to our discussions. This supports students to view language as not only a tool for communication, but also reflective of identities, culture and attitudes. Year 10 English Language is an opportunity to sample the subject before choosing it at a VCE level. It is not compulsory to take this elective in order to select Year 11 English Language, but it is highly recommended due to the technical skills required. Note that students who do not complete the elective, then subsequently choose to complete VCE English Language, will have their progress closely monitored in Unit 1 of the study and may be recommended to return to a VCE English pathway. AREA OF STUDY 1: LANGUAGE BOTH UNITES AND DIVIDES US

Key Concepts covered The aim of this topic is to explore the subtleties of human communication. It allows students to think about the subconscious decisions we make when we communicate with one another. Within this topic we explore the following: ■ The Bouba-Kiki effect and the Sapir

Whorf Hypothesis which highlight the idea that words have meaning beyond their denotations and that each of us bring our own culture and life experience to our language. ■ How language changes over time and the fact that the meaning a word has today may not be what it meant in the past nor what it could mean tomorrow. ■ The concept of constructed languages including the pros and cons of creating new languages. We zoom in on languages like

Esperanto, Klingon and Valyrian. ■ The International Phonetic Alphabet and how this helps people who do not speak

English to know how to pronounce words. AREA OF STUDY 2: MORPHOLOGY AND LEXICOLOGY

Key Concepts covered In this topic students will study the first of two linguistic subsystems: morphology and lexicology. This focuses on the how words are made up of stems and affixes (morphology) and how every word performs an important function in a sentence (lexicology). Within this topic we explore the following: ■ Derivational and inflexional morphemes. ■ The eight word classes: nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, determiners, pronouns, prepositions and conjunctions. ■ The linguistic decisions speakers and writers make when creating a text. These include how our language is determined by the context, audience, register and purposes of the text. AREA OF STUDY 3: SYNTAX

Key Concepts covered In this topic students will study another linguistic subsystem: syntax. This focusses on the how words work together to form clauses which in turn form sentences. Within this topic we explore the following: ■ Different sentence structures and their effect. ■ Different sentence types and their effect. ■ Different clause structures and their effect. ■ How when we change the order of our words, we change their impact.

Year 10 • LITERATURE ELECTIVE

SUBJECT LENGTH: SEMESTER UNIT VALUE: ONE

OVERVIEW If you are interested in reading and discussing ideas, then Literature is the elective for you. The study of Literature at Year 10 is designed to enable students to: develop an enjoyment of literature; read widely and independently; gain an understanding of the variety of human experience as it is represented in literature; extend their understanding of the different ways in which literary texts are constructed; read closely and critically; use interpretive skills by hypothesising, questioning, and drawing inferences from texts; develop the capacity to present analytical, critical, and creative responses to texts orally and in writing. Year 10 Literature is an opportunity to try out the subject before choosing it at a VCE level. It is not compulsory to take this elective in order to select Year 11 Literature, but it is highly recommended due to the skills required. Note that students who do not complete the elective, then subsequently choose to complete VCE Literature, will have their progress closely monitored in Unit 1 of the study and may be recommended to return to a VCE English pathway. AREA OF STUDY 1: CLOSE ANALYSIS

Key Concepts covered ■ Discuss and analyse the construction and features of a text. ■ Explore the connections between features of a text and the conventions appropriate to presenting an interpretation. ■ Explore and analyse the views and values suggested in a text. AREA OF STUDY 2: LITERATURE – SEEKING AND SHAPING CHANGE

Key Concepts covered ■ Explore the ways in which Literature has been an agent for social and political change. ■ Explore the active role that words, language and ideas have as a force for change. ■ Study and analyse the range of literary content and form that have facilitated change and reform. AREA OF STUDY 3: MEET THE BARD - A STUDY OF SHAKESPEARE’S MACBETH

Key Concepts covered ■ Explore the ways in which Literature has been an agent for social and political change. ■ Explore the active role that words, language and ideas have as a force for change. ■ Study and analyse the range of literary content and form that have facilitated change and reform.

ENGLISH

ENGLISH • Units 1 to 4

OVERVIEW VCE English focuses on how language is used to create meaning across a range of contexts, purposes and for different audiences. Different selected texts and mentor texts are used to encourage students to think both critically and creatively throughout Units 1-4. These range from poetry to plays to fiction and include texts from both acclaimed contemporary and classic writers.

All students must study four units to complete VCE.

Most students choose to study English as it is the most familiar of the English subjects and students are well-prepared for these units of study. No matter which English you choose, it will be included in your top four subjects which counts towards your ATAR. Therefore, it is important that this subject is given a lot of attention. If you choose to do more than one English (for example, English and English Language) the best score is included in your ATAR and the second score is only counted if it is in your top subjects.

For further advice on which English to choose, students are encouraged to speak to their English teacher or the Head of English.

UNIT 1

AREA OF STUDY 1: READING AND EXPLORING TEXTS

Key Concepts covered ■ Explore the ways in which Literature has been an agent for social and political change. ■ Explore the active role that words, language and ideas have as a force for change. ■ Study and analyse the range of literary content and form that have facilitated change and reform.

AREA OF STUDY 2: CRAFTING TEXTS

Key Concepts covered ■ Students develop an understanding of effective and cohesive creative writing through their engagement with a range of mentor texts. ■ Students craft and create their own written pieces with an increased understanding of context, purpose and audience. ■ Experiment and employ a range of vocabulary, text structures and language features for effect. UNIT 2

AREA OF STUDY 1: READING AND EXPLORING TEXTS

Key Concepts covered ■ Students develop their inferential reading and viewing skills through the exploration of a different selected text. ■ Students identify and analyse how features of the text work together to create meaning. ■ Students respond analytically to discuss ideas and values conveyed by the author using evidence and appropriate metalanguage to support their interpretation.

AREA OF STUDY 2: EXPLORING ARGUMENT

Key Concepts covered ■ Students consider how arguments are developed and conveyed across a range of forms in the media. ■ Students explore and develop analysis skills to examine how argument, language and visuals might impact an audience. ■ One oral presentation is required in Year 11.

Students employ their understanding of argument and language to present their own point of view in response to an issue of interest. UNIT 3

AREA OF STUDY 1: READING AND CREATING TEXTS

Key Concepts covered ■ Students discuss and analyse how features of a text create meaning and influence their interpretation. ■ Students identify and analyse both implicit and explicit views and values in each text. ■ Students respond both analytically and creatively to selected texts.

AREA OF STUDY 2: ANALYSING ARGUMENT

Key Concepts covered ■ Students analyse and compare the writer’s use of argument and language in texts that debate current issues. ■ Students read and view a range of media texts to hone their argument analysis skills.

AREA OF STUDY 3: LISTENING TO TEXTS

Key Concepts covered ■ Students listen to a range of spoken texts and use active listening strategies to understand information, ideas and opinions presented in texts.

UNIT 4

AREA OF STUDY 1: READING AND COMPARING TEXTS

Key Concepts covered ■ Students explore meaningful connections between two selected texts and consider how ideas, issues and themes which reflect the world and human experiences are conveyed in both texts. ■ Students respond in the form of a comparative analysis to discuss similarities and differences across these texts.

AREA OF STUDY 2: PRESENTING ARGUMENT

Key Concepts covered ■ One oral presentation is required in Year 12.

Students can choose an issue that interests them from an array of topics in the media to present a reasoned point of view in response to this issue.

ENGLISH

ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE (EAL) • Units 1 to 4

OVERVIEW EAL students need to meet the VCAA criteria for enrolment in VCE EAL. To qualify for VCE EAL, students must have received less than seven years of schooling with English as a major language of instruction. All eligible students must study four units of EAL to complete VCE. EAL will be included in a student's top four subjects which counts towards the ATAR. Therefore, it is important that this subject is given a lot of attention. The study of English as an Additional Language contributes to the development of literate individuals capable of critical and creative thinking. This study also develops students’ ability to create and analyse texts, moving from interpretation to reflection and critical analysis. UNIT 1

AREA OF STUDY 1: READING AND EXPLORING TEXTS

Key Concepts covered ■ Students read and discuss a selected text with a focus on making personal connections to the story and identifying vocabulary, language features, text structures and ideas in a text. ■ Students develop analytical skills to discuss the ideas and values conveyed by the author through the analysis of characters, setting, plot and voice. AREA OF STUDY 2: CRAFTING TEXTS

Key Concepts covered ■ Students develop an understanding of effective and cohesive creative writing through their engagement with a range of mentor texts. ■ Students craft and create their own written pieces with an increased understanding of context, purpose and audience. ■ Experiment and employ a range of vocabulary, text structures and language features for effect. UNIT 2

AREA OF STUDY 1: READING AND EXPLORING TEXTS

Key Concepts covered ■ Students develop their inferential reading and viewing skills through the exploration of a different selected text. ■ Students identify and analyse how features of the text work together to create meaning. ■ Students respond analytically to discuss ideas and values conveyed by the author using evidence and appropriate metalanguage to support their interpretation.

AREA OF STUDY 2: EXPLORING ARGUMENT

Key Concepts covered ■ Students consider how arguments are developed and conveyed across a range of forms in the media. ■ Students explore and develop analysis skills to examine how argument, language and visuals might impact an audience. ■ One oral presentation is required in Year 11.

Students employ their understanding of argument and language to present their own point of view in response to an issue of interest. UNIT 3

AREA OF STUDY 1: READING AND CREATING TEXTS

Key Concepts covered ■ Students discuss and analyse how features of a text create meaning and influence their interpretation. ■ Students identify and analyse both implicit and explicit views and values in each text. ■ Students respond both analytically and creatively to selected texts. AREA OF STUDY 2: ANALYSING ARGUMENT

Key Concepts covered ■ Students analyse and compare the writer’s use of argument and language in texts that debate current issues. ■ Students read and view a range of media texts to hone their argument analysis skills.

AREA OF STUDY 3: LISTENING TO TEXTS

Key Concepts covered ■ Students listen to a range of spoken texts and use active listening strategies to understand information, ideas and opinions presented in texts. UNIT 4

AREA OF STUDY 1: READING AND COMPARING TEXTS

Key Concepts covered ■ Students explore meaningful connections between two selected texts and consider how ideas, issues and themes which reflect the world and human experiences are conveyed in both texts. ■ Students respond in the form of a comparative analysis to discuss similarities and differences across these texts.

AREA OF STUDY 2: PRESENTING ARGUMENT

Key Concepts covered ■ One oral presentation is required in Year 12.

Students can choose an issue that interests them from an array of topics in the media to present a reasoned point of view in response to this issue.

ENGLISH

ENGLISH LITERATURE • Units 1 to 4

OVERVIEW The study of VCE Literature fosters students’ enjoyment and appreciation of the artistic and aesthetic merits of stories and storytelling and enables students to participate more fully in the cultural conversations that take place around them. By reading and exploring a diverse range of established and emerging literary works, students become increasingly empowered to discuss texts. As both readers and writers, students extend their creativity and high order thinking to express and develop their critical and creative voices. Students expand their frameworks for exploring literature by considering literary forms and features, engaging with language, and refining their insight into authorial choices. Students immerse themselves in challenging fiction and non-fiction texts, discovering and experimenting with a variety of interpretations to develop their own responses. UNIT 1

AREA OF STUDY 1: READING PRACTICES

Key Concepts covered ■ The consideration of how language, structure and stylistic choices are used in different literary forms and types of text. ■ Exploration of the degree to which points of view, experiences and contexts shape their own and others’ interpretations of text. ■ Close examination of the literary forms, features and language of texts.

AREA OF STUDY 2: EXPLORATION OF LITERARY MOVEMENTS AND GENRES

Key Concepts covered ■ Exploration of the concerns, ideas, style, and conventions common to a distinctive type of literature seen in literary movements or genres, such as modernism, epic, tragedy, and magic realism, as well as more popular, or mainstream, genres, and subgenres such as crime, romance and science fiction.

■ Exploration of the ideas and concerns shared by the texts through language, settings, narrative structures and characterisation. UNIT 2

AREA OF STUDY 1: VOICES OF COUNTRY

Key Concepts covered ■ An exploration the voices, perspectives and knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander authors and creators.

■ A consideration of the interconnectedness of place, culture and identity through the experiences, texts, and voices of

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including connections to Country, the impact of colonisation and its ongoing consequences and issues of reconciliation and reclamation.

AREA OF STUDY 2: THE TEXT IN ITS CONTEXT

Key Concepts covered ■ An exploration of the text and its historical, social and cultural context. ■ A consideration of the representations of a specific time period and/or culture within a text. ■ Exploration of the text to understand its point of view and that on which it reflects or comments. ■ One Oral Presentation is required in Year 11

Literature. UNIT 3

AREA OF STUDY 1: ADAPTATIONS AND TRANSFORMATIONS

Key Concepts covered ■ An exploration of how the form of a text contributes to its meaning. ■ Consideration of the extent to which adapting the text to a different form, and often in a new or reimagined context, affects its meaning, comparing the original with the adaptation. ■ Exploration of how creators of adaptations may emphasise or minimise viewpoints, assumptions and ideas present in the original text.

AREA OF STUDY 2: DEVELOPING INTERPRETATIONS

Key Concepts covered ■ An exploration of the different ways we can read and understand a text by developing, considering and comparing interpretations of a set text.

■ Consideration and exploration of the ways a supplementary reading that can enrich, challenge and/or contest the ideas and the views, values, and assumptions of the set text to further enhance the students’ understanding.

UNIT 4

AREA OF STUDY 1: CREATIVE RESPONSES TO TEXTS

Key Concepts covered ■ Exploration and development of the imaginative techniques used for creating and recreating a literary work. ■ Critical reflection on the literary form, features and language of a text, and discuss their own responses as they relate to the text, including the purpose and context of their creations.

AREA OF STUDY 2: CLOSE ANALYSIS OF TEXTS

Key Concepts covered ■ An exploration and a detailed scrutiny of the language, style, concerns and construction of texts. ■ Close consideration to and of textual details to examine the ways specific passages in a text contribute to their overall understanding of the whole text. ■ Consideration of literary forms, features and language, and the views and values of the text. ■ One Oral Presentation is required in Year 12

Literature

ENGLISH

ENGLISH LANGUAGE • Units 1 to 4

OVERVIEW If you wish to learn about how English works within the world and study the grammar, history and evolution of English language, this subject is for you. In English Language we explore how we carefully choose our language to support our social purposes and discuss why our language is changing and how, by adapting our language, we can change the world.

All students must complete four units of English to complete the VCE.

UNIT 1 LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Key Concepts covered ■ Explore how situational and cultural contexts influence language choices. ■ Study the five subsystems (phonology, morphology/lexicology, syntax, discourse and semantics). ■ Study the theory of child language acquisition. ■ Explore the impact that our environment has on language learning. ■ Discuss the impact of multilingualism on language acquisition. UNIT 2

LANGUAGE CHANGE AND ENGLISHES IN CONTACT

Key Concepts covered ■ Examine how English has developed over time. ■ Study the factors that cause language to change over time. ■ Predict how our language might continue to change in the future. ■ Consider the effects of the global spread of English. ■ Discuss the development and decline of languages as a result of English contact. ■ Examine the development of Creoles, the impact of multilingualism on society. ■ Predict how societal changes will influence the progress of English in the future. UNIT 3

LANGUAGE VARIATION AND SOCIAL PURPOSE – INFORMAL AND FORMAL LANGUAGE

Key Concepts covered ■ Consider the way in which speakers and writers choose their language to suit their context, purposes and audience in a formal or informal setting. ■ Study how adapting their language can positively or negatively impact the effectiveness of their communication. ■ Critically evaluate other people’s texts to ascertain what makes these texts effective. UNIT 4

LANGUAGE VARIATION AND IDENTITY

Key Concepts covered ■ Explore the range of language varieties which exist in contemporary Australian society. ■ Discuss how these construct our shared national identity. ■ Explore how societal change has influenced our language. ■ Discuss the changing prestige associated with different varieties. ■ Discuss the role of language in reflecting and constructing individual and group identities.