Extension  English

Module: Texts, Culture and Value

Students explore the ways in which aspects and concerns of texts from the past have been carried forward, borrowed from and/or appropriated into more recent culture. The module develops students’ understanding of how and why cultural values are maintained and changed.

Students examine a key text from the past and its manifestations in other contexts and media. Through close study they:

• consider the relationships between the text and its culture

• explore the language of the text and examine the ways in which language shapes and reflects values

• consider the effects of different ways of responding to the text

• consider the ways and reasons the original and later manifestations of the text or aspects of the text are valued.

Students also explore, analyse and critically evaluate different examples of such texts in a range of contexts and media, including texts of their choosing.

Students develop a range of imaginative, interpretive and analytical compositions, including some which explore the relationships between key texts from the past and texts in more recent culture. These compositions may be realised in various forms and media. Students investigate topics and ideas, engage in independent learning activities, and develop skills in sustained composition.

Related Project

This project provides opportunities for students to develop skills in independent investigation and critical and creative thinking. Students apply their knowledge about texts studied in this module to their own selected texts. They develop an understanding of research methodologies suitable to support a range of interpretive, analytical and imaginative projects.

Students select a key text and examine and evaluate manifestations of their selected text in other contexts and media, while considering how and whether the values embedded in one text parallel, challenge or offer alternatives to the other.

Students realise insights into their research and personal evaluation of the texts in an imaginative and analytical multimodal presentation. This project may be undertaken concurrently with study of the module Texts, Culture and Value.

Common Module – Literary Worlds

In this module students explore, investigate, experiment with and evaluate the ways texts represent and illuminate the complexity of individual and collective lives in literary worlds. Students evaluate how ideas and ways of thinking are shaped by personal, social, historical and cultural contexts. They extend their understanding of the ways that texts contribute to their awareness of the diversity of ideas, attitudes and perspectives evident in texts.

Students explore, analyse and critically evaluate textual representations of the experiences of others, including notions of identity, voice and points of view; and how values are presented and reflected in texts. They deepen their understanding of how texts construct private, public and imaginary worlds that can explore new horizons and offer new insights.

Students consider how personal, social, historical and cultural context influence how texts are valued and how context influences their responses to these diverse literary worlds. They appraise their own values, assumptions and dispositions as they develop further understanding of how texts make meaning.

In their study of literary worlds students experiment with critical and creative compositions that explore how language features and forms are crafted to express complex ideas and emotions, motivations, attitudes, experiences and values. These compositions may be realised in various forms, modes and media.

Each elective in this module involves the study of three texts from the prescribed list, with at least two being print texts. Students explore, analyse and critically evaluate a range of other texts that construct private, public and imaginary worlds.

Major Work 

The Major Work is a sustained, cohesive extended composition that demonstrates mastery of the composition process. The Reflection Statement reflects on and evaluates the creative process of completing an original composition. Students engage in extensive investigation of a subject of their own choosing to demonstrate the skills and knowledge developed throughout their Stage 6 English courses. 

A Major Work must communicate an idea that is conceptually profound, insightful or thought provoking with a clear sense of audience and purpose appropriate to the chosen form and style. The form of the Major Work must be chosen deliberately to contribute to the authenticity, originality and overall conceptual purpose of the work. Students skilfully manipulate and control the language features and conventions of their chosen form to create an engaging composition. The work must demonstrate a conscious and purposeful style that has been refined to ensure artistry and textual integrity. 

Throughout the Major Work process students will be required to demonstrate their evaluation and reflection on their research and composition in various ways. 

The processes of composition are recorded in the student’s Major Work Journal and monitored by the teacher. The journal is an ongoing record, evaluation and reflection on the creative, investigative and drafting process and the realisation of an extended composition. 

Reflection Statement 

The Reflection Statement evaluates the process of composition and the product is submitted with the Major Work. 

This includes: 

• an analysis and evaluation of the relationship between the Major Work and extensive independent research 

• an explanation of the intended audience and purposes for which it was composed 

• an analysis of the relationships between concept, structure, technical and language features 

• an explanation of how the Major Work is an extension of the skills, knowledge and understanding developed in the Stage 6 English courses. This relationship may have developed throughout the Year 11 and 12 English Advanced and English Extension 1 courses 

• an evaluation of the writing process and the realisation of the concept in the composition 

• a reference list for the texts used in the Major Work and cited in the Reflection Statement.