ENGLISH
Years 7 to 10 - INTRODUCTION
Language shapes our understanding of ourselves and our world, and is of obvious importance in the way we relate to others. In the study of English at high school, students explore how meaning is shaped, conveyed, interpreted and reflected in spoken, written and visual texts.
The study of English is mandatory in NSW.
Developing proficiency in English enables students to take their place as confident communicators, critical and imaginative thinkers, lifelong learners and active participants in Australian society. It develops skills to enable students to experiment with ideas and expression, to become active, independent learners, to work with each other and to reflect on their learning.
In all years:
* students respond to texts. Students read, listen to and view a variety of texts and analyse and evaluate the content and ideas in the texts.
* students compose texts. Students create and produce written, spoken and visual texts in order to demonstrate their understanding of the texts and concepts studied.
A text in English is any medium that uses language, including sound, print, film, electronic and multimedia. Examples include (but are not limited to): novels, plays, poems, song lyrics, films, documentaries, TV programs, interviews, web sites, newspaper and magazine articles.
Students in Years 7 - 10 must read, listen to and view a variety of texts that are appropriate to their needs, interests and abilities.
In each year students must study examples of
* spoken texts
* print texts
* visual texts
* media and multimedia including texts drawn from radio, television, newspapers, the internet and CD-ROMs.
The selection of texts must include:
* Fiction texts
* Poetry
* Film (including film on video or DVD)
* Non-fiction
* Drama
The texts studied must give students experience of:
* a widely defined Australian literature, and other Australian texts including those that give insights into Aboriginal experiences and multicultural experiences in Australia
* literature from other countries and times
* cultural heritages, popular cultures and youth cultures
* picture books
* everyday and workplace texts
* a range of social, gender and cultural perspectives.
* in years 9 and 10, students must also study Shakespearean drama.
Adapted from the English Syllabus Years 7-10 (Board of Studies NSW 2003)
ENGLISH Year 10
English is a mandatory subject for all Year 10 students in NSW.
The study of English in Years 7 to 10 is intended to be both challenging and enjoyable. At Goulburn High School we have developed a Scope and Sequence from Years 7 to 10 which develops student skills and understanding to prepare students for the School Certificate and the Higher School Certificate and life after school. The modules studied in Year 10 build on the concepts and skills developed in Year 7, 8 and 9 English.
The School Certificate year culminates in the School Certificate Examination. All Year 10 students sit for state-wide tests in November in English-literacy. Teachers will also collect information about a student's achievements in English, based on successful completion of class work and Assessment Tasks, and will use this information to assist them to make the final judgement of the grades awarded to students at the end of Year 10.
For the satisfactory completion of a course, it is the student's responsibility to:
(a) follow the course developed or endorsed by the Board; and
(b) apply yourself with diligence and sustained effort to the set tasks and experiences provided in the course by the school; and
(c) achieve some or all of the course outcomes.
[see http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/schoolcertificate/pdf_doc/sc-10-rules-procedures.pdf or contact Goulburn High School for more information]
Core Modules studied in Year 10
1. Novel Study – Representations of Society
Students explore the features of a novel, such as plot, characterisation and setting, and analyse the importance of these features in the development of issues and themes. Students develop an understanding of the values inherent in the novel and the importance of the context of both the author and the reader.
2. Genre study – film study
Students develop their understanding of genre through film study. Students expand their understanding of the filmic techniques, features and conventions of a particular genre and how these engage and influence the viewer. Students continue to develop their understanding of the values inherent in texts and the importance of the context of both the composer and the viewer.
3. Concept study – Representing Reality
Students explore how reality is represented in media texts, documentaries and "reality" programs, along with fiction texts such as novels and films. Students examine and analyse how these texts work to portray representations of the world. Students examine concepts such as truth, fiction, perspective, and context, and analyse how persuasive techniques are used to shape responses and reactions.
4. Drama
Students continue to develop their understanding and enjoyment of drama and performance, with a continued focus on script analysis and writing, playbuilding and performance.
Students in 10.1 and 10.2 will continue their study of Shakespearean drama.
5. Poetry
Students will develop their understanding of how context affects and influences texts and responses to texts, through the exploration of the works of a particular poet or a variety of poems linked by a theme. Students will identify poetic techniques used and evaluate their effectiveness.