English and English as an Additional Language (EAL)

Unit 1:
Area of Study 1 - Reading and exploring texts

In this area of study, students engage in reading and viewing texts with a focus on personal connections with the story. They discuss and clarify the ideas and values presented by authors through their evocations of character, setting and plot, and through investigations of the point of view and/or the voice of the text. They develop and strengthen inferential reading and viewing skills, and consider the ways a text’s vocabulary, text structures and language features can create meaning on several levels and in different ways.

Students’ exploration of texts involves understanding and appreciating the role of vocabulary, text structures and language features in creating story and meaning. They contemplate the ways a text can present and reflect human experiences, and how stories or aspects of stories resonate with their own memories and lives. Students are encouraged to share their experience and understanding of the world, and make connections with key ideas, concerns and tensions presented in a text. They also explore the cultural, social and historical values embedded in the text, and can compare these values with their own. It is through these moments of connection that students engage more closely with the reading experience, and draw parallels with their own observations of the world.

Through participation in discussions about their own experiences and the ways they make connections with a text, students develop their own thinking and engage with the ideas of others to extend their understanding of a text. They draw on personal experience and understanding in developing writing about a text, and work to shape their ideas and knowledge into formal essay structures.

For this outcome, students will read and explore one set text, or extracts from the set text (EAL). This text must be of a different text type from that selected for study in Unit 2. The text selected should reflect the interests of the students and be worthy of close study.

Students are provided with opportunities to practise and extend their writing about texts. They are given time and support to extend their writing through reflection, editing and feedback.

Area of Study 2 - Crafting texts

In this area of study, students engage with and develop an understanding of effective and cohesive writing. They apply, extend and challenge their understanding and use of imaginative, persuasive and informative text through a growing awareness of situated contexts, stated purposes and audience.

Students read and engage imaginatively and critically with mentor texts that model effective writing. Through guided reading of mentor texts, students develop an understanding of the diverse ways that vocabulary, text structures, language features and ideas can interweave to craft compelling texts. They consider these texts through knowledge of the ways purpose, context (including mode) and audience influence and shape writing.

Both individual and shared reading of mentor texts provides students with opportunities for rich discussion about what constitutes effective writing. Students collaborate through classwork to cultivate their understandings of cohesive and successful texts.

Students employ and experiment with the qualities of effective writing in their own work. Considering clear purpose, context (including mode) and audiences for their writing, and through engaging with and expanding on ideas drawn from mentor texts and other reading, they extend their creativity, fluency and range. As they craft their texts, students explore text structures and language features, and ideas. They build a varied vocabulary, which can include abstract and technical language, and apply standard and/or non-standard conventions of language, including syntax and spelling, as appropriate. They are also able to explore other forms of non-standard or informal language including colloquial and idiomatic language such as slang or dialects, where appropriate.

The mentor texts can include short stories, speeches or monologues (with transcripts), essays (comment, opinion, reflective, personal), podcasts (with transcripts), poetry/songs, feature articles (including a series of blog or social media postings) and memoirs and biography and can be entire texts or extracts. Students explore and revisit the mentor texts as inspiration for developing their own writing processes, for generation of ideas, and as models for effective writing. They demonstrate their understanding of ideas and application of effective writing strategies in their crafted texts, and can articulate their writing processes in their commentaries.

Please Note: This study summary comprises excerpts from the VCE English/English as a Second Language Study Design. The summary is not a substitute for the VCE Study Design. Users are advised to consult the VCAA website (http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/english/index.html) to view the full accredited Study Design and other resources.

Unit 2:

Area of Study 1 - Reading and exploring texts

In this area of study, students develop their reading and viewing skills, including deepening their capacity for inferential reading and viewing, to further open possible meanings in a text, and to extend their writing in response to text. Students will develop their skills from Unit 1 through an exploration of a different text type from that studied in Unit 1.

Students read or view a text, engaging with the ideas, concerns and tensions, and recognise ways vocabulary, text structures, language features and conventions of a text work together to create meaning. Through discussions about representations in a text, they examine the ways readers understand text considering its historical context, and social and cultural values. They also explore the text through the prism of their own cultural knowledge, experiences and understanding of the world, and extend their observations into analytical and abstracted explorations.

Developing analytical writing about a text provides students with opportunities to build skills to discuss ideas, apply appropriate metalanguage, integrate evidence from a text to support key points, and explore organisational structures such as formal essays.

Students are provided with opportunities to practise and extend their writing about texts. They are given time and support to extend their writing through reflection, editing and feedback.

Students read and explore one set text, or extracts from a set text (EAL). The set text for this area of study must be of a different text type from that studied in Unit 1. Students’ understandings and experiences of the world, as well as supplementary texts, can enrich discussions about key ideas presented in the text. For this reason, the text selected should reflect the interest of the students and be worthy of close study.

Area of Study 2 - Exploring argument

In this area of study, students consider the way arguments are developed and delivered in many forms of media. Through the prism of a contemporary and substantial local and/or national issue, students read, view and listen to a range of texts that attempt to position an intended audience in a particular context. They explore the structure of these texts, including contention, sequence of arguments, use of supporting evidence and persuasive strategies. They closely examine the language and the visuals employed by the author, and offer analysis of the intended effect on the audience. Students apply their knowledge of argument to create a point of view text for oral presentation.

Suitable texts for study should reflect a variety of persuasive texts. Appropriate texts could be drawn from print, digital, audio and audio visual sources. These texts may include speeches, digitally presented texts, opinion and comment pieces, and other texts designed to position audiences in relation to an issue. In selecting these texts, teachers should reflect on what students choose to read, view and listen to. Consideration and time should be given to the explicit teaching of contextual information and cultural knowledge required to support an understanding of the selected issue and texts.

Students practise analysing persuasive texts using note taking, summaries and short-answer questions, and through formal, analytical writing. When working with audio or audio visual texts, they explore elements of spoken language including intonation, volume, pace, pausing and stress, and develop analysis of the ways these elements contribute to argument and the effect on the audience.

Students craft their writing using evidence from the texts to support their analysis. They draft and revise their writing and invite feedback from their teacher and other students to refine their ideas and expression. They aim for coherence, logic and accuracy in their writing.

Students employ their understanding of argument to create their own point of view text. They construct this text for oral presentation, and learn about the conventions of oral presentation for persuasive purposes.

Unit 3

Area of Study 1 - Reading and responding to texts

In this area of study, students apply reading and viewing strategies to critically engage with a text, considering its dynamics and complexities and reflecting on the motivations of its characters. They analyse the ways authors construct meaning through vocabulary, text structures, language features and conventions, and the presentation of ideas. They are provided with opportunities to understand and explore the historical context, and the social and cultural values of a text, and recognise how these elements influence the way a text is read or viewed, is understood by different audiences, and positions its readers in different ways.

Sustained analytical writing about a text provides students with opportunities to further develop skills to engage with and challenge ideas, to refine their application of appropriate metalanguage, to integrate evidence from a text to support key points, and to improve their use of organisational structures such as formal essays. Through participation in discussion, students test their thinking, clarify ideas and form views about a text that can be further developed in their writing.

All students are provided with opportunities to practise and extend their writing about texts, and EAL students are provided with a contextual framing of the text through a listening task that explores historical, cultural and/or social values relevant to the text (such as an interview, episode of a podcast, lecture or presentation). Prior to summative assessment, they are given time and support to extend their writing through reflection, editing and feedback.

Students study one text selected from the annual VCAA VCE English and EAL Text List. This text must be of a different text type from that which is selected for study in Unit 4.

Area of Study 2 - Creating texts

In this area of study, students build on the knowledge and skills developed through Unit 1. They read and engage imaginatively and critically with mentor texts, and effective and cohesive writing within identified contexts. Through close reading, students expand their understanding of the diverse ways that vocabulary, text structures, language features, conventions and ideas can interweave to create compelling texts. They further consider mentor texts through their understanding of the ways that purpose, context (including mode), and specific and situated audiences influence and shape writing.

Students work with mentor texts to inspire their own creative processes, to generate ideas for their writing, and as models for effective writing. They experiment with adaptation and individual creation, and demonstrate insight into ideas and effective writing strategies in their texts. They reflect on the deliberate choices they have made through their writing processes in their commentaries.

Students participate in collaborative class work and discuss the ways that vocabulary, text structures and language features can enliven ideas. They read, explore and revisit examples of text, including extracts, to stimulate structural innovation and to inspire ideas when developing individual writing. They also make connections with experiences and events in their own lives, observing and recording to enrich their writing, and to extend their ideas.

Students use and experiment with vocabulary, text structures, language features, and standard and non-standard conventions of language, including the use of colloquial and idiomatic language such as slang or dialect where appropriate. Through this engagement they deepen their understanding of how writing can move, provoke and/or inspire when constructed in consideration of a specific and situated audience, purpose and context (including mode). They play with language as they explore ideas and aim for aesthetic appeal, to expand their writing into the possibilities of emotion, imagination, explanation and perspective.

Unit 4

Area of Study 1 - Reading and responding to texts

In this area of study, students further sharpen their skills of reading and viewing texts, developed in the corresponding area of study in Unit 3. Students consolidate their capacity to critically analyse texts and deepen their understanding of the ideas and values a text can convey.

Students apply reading and viewing strategies to engage with a text, and discuss and analyse the ways authors construct meaning in a text through the presentation of ideas, concerns and conflicts, and the use of vocabulary, text structures and language features. They engage with the dynamics of a text and explore the explicit and implicit ideas and values presented in a text. They recognise and explain the ways the historical context, and social and cultural values can effect a reader, and analyse how these social and cultural values are presented. They establish how these values can influence the way a text is read or viewed, can be understood by different audiences, and can position readers in different ways.

Sustained analytical writing about a text provides students with opportunities to refine skills to engage with and challenge ideas, to confidently apply appropriate metalanguage, to deftly integrate evidence from a text to support key points, and to enhance their use of organisational structures such as formal essays. Through participation in discussion, students test their thinking, clarify ideas and form views about a text that are clearly developed in their writing.

Students are provided with opportunities to practise and extend their writing about texts. Prior to summative assessment, they are given time and support to extend their writing through reflection, editing and feedback.

Students study one text selected from the annual VCE English and EAL Text List. The text selected for study must be of a different text type from that which is selected for study in Unit 3.

Area of Study 2 - Analysing argument

In this area of study, students analyse the use of argument and language, and visuals in texts that debate a contemporary and significant national or international issue. The texts must have appeared in the media since 1 September of the previous year and teachers are advised to work with their students to select an issue of relevance to the cohort. Students read, view and/or listen to a variety of texts from the media, including print and digital, and audio and audio visual, and develop their understanding of the ways in which arguments and language complement one another to position an intended audience in relation to a selected issue.

Students consider the purpose, audience and context of each text, the arguments, and the ways written and spoken language, and visuals are employed for effect. They analyse the ways all these elements work together to influence and/or convince an intended audience. Consideration and time should be given to explicit teaching of the contextual and cultural background of the selected issue and the texts explored.

Students must explore and analyse the structures and features of argument presented in audio and/or audio visual texts, and consider the unique structures and features that enhance argument in these contexts. They plan and develop written analyses in response to their explorations. Students practise the skills of revision and editing for clarity and coherence.

Students apply their understanding of the use of argument and language to create a point of view text for oral presentation. Through active listening, reading and viewing, students monitor and evaluate arguments on a topic of their choice, and then plan and develop their own point of view text on that topic. They present their points of view as a discussion, dialogue or debate, or in a presentation mode that best suits their context, purpose and audience.