English

The English language is central to the way in which students understand, critique and appreciate their world. The study of English encourages the development of literate individuals capable of critical and imaginative thinking and creativity.

The Learning Area of English is committed to providing an English program which develops effective and creative use of the full range of communication skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening – and fosters enjoyment in the use of these skills.

The Learning Area of English aims to provide programs which encourage students to develop the following skills to the best of their ability:

  • To read, with understanding, material of increasing difficulty.
  • To write effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences.
  • To evaluate spoken and written argument, and to present clear and logical views.
  • To understand and appreciate the purpose of different forms of literature, and to encourage meaningful and sincere responses to a wide range of literary experiences.
  • To provide meaningful and sincere analytical and creative responses, in both oral and written forms.
  • To appreciate the characteristics of different forms of media: internet, newspapers, radio, film and television.
  • To research independently and to demonstrate appropriate information literacy skills.

Years 7 and 8

Students will be introduced to an ever widening scope of topics and texts in an effort to help them engage with the skills being fostered for the future.

Years 9 and 10

The curriculum begins to develop a sense of autonomy in each student’s own ideas and continues to build on the forms in which these can be expressed.

There is also the opportunity to study areas of particular interest in elective studies

  • Year 9 – English
  • Year 9 – Enrichment English and Creative Writing
  • Year 10 – English
  • Year 10 – Enrichment English and Literature

Years 11 and 12

At VCE level the College offers English and English Literature.

English:
Builds on the skills of comprehension and analysis of the ways in which texts are constructed and interpreted. Students will develop competence and confidence in creating written and oral texts. All assessment tasks will follow the guidance of VCAA study outlines.

English Language:
English Language builds on students’ previous learning about the conventions and codes used by speakers and writers of English. Informed by the discipline of linguistics, it provides students with metalinguistic tools to understand and analyse language use, variation and change. Students studying English Language examine how uses and interpretations of language are nuanced and complex rather than a series of fixed conventions. Students explore how people use spoken and written English to communicate, to think and innovate, to construct identities, to build and interrogate attitudes and assumptions, and to create and disrupt social cohesion.

Literature:
The study of literature is a means of exploring and making sense of human experience. The study is based on the premise that meaning is derived from the interaction between the text, the context in which it was produced and the experience of life and literature that the reader brings to the text. Thus, students will develop effective reading strategies and examine ideas within a text and relate them to their own lives and social contexts.