English Extension

Course No: 11150 (Year 11 Extension), 15160 (Year 12 Extension 1), 15170 (Year 12 Extension 2)

Course Description

The English Extension course provides students who undertake Advanced English and are accomplished in their use of English with the opportunity to extend their use of language and self-expression in creative and critical ways. The course is designed for students with an interest in literature and a desire to pursue specialised study of English.

Through engaging with increasingly complex concepts through a broad range of literature, from a range of contexts, students refine their understanding and appreciation of the cultural roles and the significance of texts and about the way that literature shapes and reflects the global world.

The English Extension 2 course enables students who are accomplished in their use of English with the opportunity to craft language and refine their personal voice in critical and creative ways. They can master skills in the composition process to create a substantial and original Major Work that extends the knowledge, understanding and skills developed throughout Stage 6 English courses. Through the creative process they pursue areas of interest independently, develop deep knowledge and manipulate language in their own extended compositions. The course develops independent and collaborative learning skills and higher-order critical thinking that are essential at tertiary levels of study and in the workplace.

What Students Learn

In the English Extension Year 11 course, 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. They consider how and why cultural values are maintained and changed. The course has one mandatory module: Texts, Culture and Value as well as a related research project.

In the English Extension 1 Year 12 course, students explore, investigate, experiment with and evaluate the ways texts represent and illuminate the complexity of individual and collective lives in literary worlds. The course has one common module, Literary Worlds, with five associated electives. Students must complete one elective chosen from one of the five electives offered for study.

The electives are:

Literary Homelands
Worlds of Upheaval
Reimagined Worlds
Literary Mindscapes
Intersecting Worlds

In the English Extension 2 Year 12 course, students develop a sustained composition, and document their reflection on this process. The course requires students to undertake a composition process in order to complete a Major Work and Reflection Statement.

Will I have classes outside of school hours?

Extension 1 and 2 classes usually run outside of lines. This may mean that the classes run during Sport or after school.

How hard are the Extension courses?

Both of the English Extension courses are rigorous, academic subjects. These courses are for serious students who are keen to develop a deep understanding of texts and who are excited by the possibilities that come from crafting texts of their own.

What should I expect in regards to the Extension 2 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.

Students are required to compose a Major Work in one of the following forms:

Short fiction
Creative nonfiction
Poetry
Critical response
Script (short film, television, drama)
Podcasts (drama, storytelling, speeches, performance poetry)
Multimedia

This is a very independent course, which allows students to flourish and demonstrate their creative talents within a form of their choosing.

Will I study specific texts in Extension 2?

The Extension 2 course consists of the Major Work and a Reflection Statement. While you should be prepared to do an extensive amount of individual research and reading, there are no set texts to be studied in this course.

How is WCCS supporting English course choices?

From 2020, WCCS will be placing students in English courses based on their performance, with a particular focus on their Year 10 results. If students wish to select challenging courses like English Extension, then they are reminded that they need to demonstrate their capabilities in Year 10 assessments. Students who fail to demonstrate their capacity for English Extension will be required to do so for the remainder of Year 10 if they would like to be considered at the end of the year. In this way we are seeking to motivate students to work to their personal best and demonstrate readiness for this challenging course.

Important NESA Information

1 unit of study for each of Year 11 and Year 12

Prerequisites: (a) English (Advanced)

(b) Year 11 English Extension is a prerequisite for English Extension Course 1

(c) English Extension Course 1 is a prerequisite for English Extension Course 2

Exclusions: English (Standard); English Studies; English (EAL/D)

Course Description

The English Extension course provides students who undertake Advanced English and are accomplished in their use of English with the opportunity to extend their use of language and self-expression in creative and critical ways. The course is designed for students with an interest in literature and a desire to pursue specialised study of English.

Through engaging with increasingly complex concepts through a broad range of literature, from a range of contexts, students refine their understanding and appreciation of the cultural roles and the significance of texts and about the way that literature shapes and reflects the global world.

The English Extension 2 course enables students who are accomplished in their use of English with the opportunity to craft language and refine their personal voice in critical and creative ways. They can master skills in the composition process to create a substantial and original Major Work that extends the knowledge, understanding and skills developed throughout Stage 6 English courses. Through the creative process they pursue areas of interest independently, develop deep knowledge and manipulate language in their own extended compositions. The course develops independent and collaborative learning skills and higher-order critical thinking that are essential at tertiary levels of study and in the workplace.

Main Topics Covered

Year 11 Extension 1

The course has one mandatory module: Texts, Culture and Value as well as a related research project.

Year 12 Extension 1

English Extension 1 course – The course has one common module, Literary Worlds, with five associated electives. Students must complete one elective chosen from one of the five electives offered for study. The electives are:

Literary homelands
Worlds of upheaval
Reimagined worlds
Literary mindscapes
Intersecting worlds

Year 12 Extension 2 course

The course requires students to undertake a composition process in order to complete a Major Work and Reflection Statement.

Particular Course Requirements

Year 11 Extension 1

Students are required to:

Examine a key text from the past and its manifestations in one or more recent cultures
Explore, analyse and critically evaluate different examples of such texts in a range of contexts and media
Undertake a related research project.

Year 12 Extension 1

In the English Extension 1 course students are required to study:

At least three prescribed texts for the elective study which must include two extended print texts (as outlined in the English Stage 6 Prescriptions: Modules, Electives and Texts Higher School Certificate 2019–2023 document)
At least TWO related texts.

Year 12 Extension 2

Students are required to:

Complete a Major Work which involves students undertaking extensive independent investigation involving a range of complex texts during the composition process and document this in their Major Work Journal and Reflection Statement. Students can choose to compose in ONE of the following forms:
- Short fiction
- Creative non-fiction
- Poetry
- Critical response
- Script – short film, television, drama
- Podcasts – drama, storytelling, speeches, performance poetry