The focus of the English curriculum in Band C is a closer examination of the critical and cultural dimensions of language. In particular, emphasis is placed on:

• introducing students to the formal study of literature
• developing students’ understanding of the constructed nature of all texts and helping them to find ways to understand and interpret a range of texts
• alerting students to contextual factors involved in the construction and interpretation of texts, especially the role of the audience in constructing meaning
• teaching students how to write appropriately and correctly in a range of text types for school and other purposes
• teaching students to write expressively and in detail about their thoughts, feelings, opinions and ideas
• further developing students’ skills in working in different kinds of groups, including unstructured, teacher-selected or outcome-oriented groups, where considerable autonomy is called for
• teaching students to speak appropriately and with confidence in formal situations, and with members of the wider community
• developing in students a critical understanding of the mass media and the difference between various media text types

• understanding the main themes, ideas and points of view expressed in a variety of texts and comparing these with other texts
• being explicitly aware of the needs and expectations of a designated audience when writing and speaking
• using written and spoken language that demonstrates awareness of the influence of certain linguistic structures and features on how texts might be interpreted
• planning and writing detailed and organised expository texts such as reports, reviews, formal essays about literary texts, and arguments, developing a main idea or point of view clearly and logically, and using suitable evidence
• writing detailed, unified narratives and personal accounts that explore challenging ideas and issues
• comparing and contrasting media texts, and having some awareness of the relationship between the medium and the message
• speaking confidently and appropriately in situations such as reporting formally to an audience, exploring ideas in a group, welcoming visiting speakers, debating issues, and interviewing members of the public
• using some understanding and appreciation of the deliberately constructed nature of texts to interpret other texts within the same text type and across text types.

(What the students are doing with what kinds of texts)

• Complex texts that explore moral, psychological and philosophical issues.Ÿ A wide range of texts, including:
  • media texts, such as feature films
  • a range of films, mostly full-length contemporary feature films but including some classic and popular films
  • poetry in a variety of styles and forms
  • students’ improvised or self-scripted drama texts, based on their reading
  • contemporary published drama scripts
  • some classic drama scripts, such as Shakespearian comedy or early twentieth century dramas
  • contemporary novels and short stories, reflecting the range and diversity of socio-cultural groups
  • some classic novels
  • popular fiction, including students’ writing, romance stories, science fiction, and adventure stories
• A balanced selection of texts, including:
  • Australian texts
  • texts from other English-speaking countries
  • translated works from other cultures.
• A self-selected wide reading program, with emphasis on contemporary novels and short stories.
• A more structured study of literature in which students develop the ability to discuss:
  • implied as well as stated meanings
  • themes as well as plot
  • an author’s point of view
  • the context in which the text arose
  • the purpose of the text.
• A greater awareness of the underlying attitudes, beliefs and values in texts.
• An emphasis on production and performance in the study of drama texts.
• As well as considering the similarity between film and other narrative texts such as novels, students are increasingly asked to consider elements of style and structure in films.

(The understandings about socio-cultural and situational contexts that students are developing in relation to their own and others’ texts)

• Learning how authors’ backgrounds may influence what is written, filmed or spoken.
• Learning how authors’ backgrounds may influence how their written, filmed or spoken texts are interpreted.
• Reflecting upon why some texts have endured.
• Considering the socio-cultural values in texts, how these values may have changed since the text was written and how texts are likely to be interpreted by different groups.
• Comparing the ideas, values and beliefs in texts with those of other contemporary authors and with authors from other periods and different cultures.
• Developing a greater understanding of how texts are designed for particular purposes and to appeal to different audiences by comparing literature texts and hypothesising about their purposes and audiences.
  

(The knowledge of linguistic structures and features which students are learning to use when composing and comprehending texts)

• Studying the linguistic structures and features of literature texts in order to:
  • discern and discuss themes with greater perception
  • experiment more successfully and subtly in writing their own literature texts
• Learning how meaning is constructed in a range of texts and how this influences what meaning is conveyed.
• Studying prose fiction and feature films in terms of:
  • plot structure
  • character development
  • the role of the narrator
  • the method of narration
  • the setting
  • the context of the work.
• Analysing literary devices such as symbolism
• Studying drama in terms of:
  • plot structure
  • characterisation
  • conflict (within and between characters)
  • movement
  • dialogue and dramatic silence.
• Learning the features of various drama genres, including:
  • comedy
  • tragedy
  • farce
  • melodrama
• Learning more about the roles of people such as directors, editors, production designers and cinematographers in producing films.
• Examining how filming techniques or conventions produce specific effects.
• Studying the key linguistic features of poems, such as:
  • rhyme
  • assonance
  • rhythm
  • onomatopoeia
  • repetition
  • symbolism
  • alliteration
  • figurative language
• Writing poems using strict forms or various metrical and structural patterns devised by themselves or the teacher.
• Studying films and novels in terms of the features and structures of difference text types and genres.
  

• Keeping a journal about their wider reading in which students predict, comment on their feelings about the text at stages of their reading, review these opinions, and discuss their attitudes towards characters, themes, points of view and writing style.
• Using their knowledge of narrative texts to construct meanings from and analyse other texts and text types.
• Using their knowledge of particular narrative techniques to:
  • come to more subtle and critical interpretations of texts
  • construct their own texts more imaginatively and effectively
• Learning how to select the most effective evidence to support a point of view about a literature text, by (for example):
  • making margin notes in texts while reading
  • constructing a running sheet for a film.
    

• Critically examining the images of modern culture and society carried by media texts.
• Examining current issues from the range of perspectives offered by media texts.
• Responding critically to media images such as stereotypes by comparing the representation of issues in the media with their own experience.
• Developing their understanding of persuasive techniques by studying media texts.
• Commenting on the persuasive techniques employed by media texts.
• Experimenting with using persuasive techniques in their own literature, mass media and everyday texts.
• Studying media texts such as:
  • newspaper and magazine journalism
  • editorials and letters to the editor
  • advertising
• Experimenting with a number of media text types, in real or mock ways, in order to increase their understanding of how context, audience and purpose affect the construction of texts.

• Learning more about the influence of mass media on their lives.
• Learning more about the cultural contexts of mass media texts.
• Considering the main target audiences for media texts and how targeting an audience influence a text.
• Learning to examine closely the effects of specific images, music and word choice on audiences and to support their conclusions with evidence from the text.
• Experimenting with targeting audiences for real or mock purposes.

• Detecting elements of persuasion and appeal in the linguistic structures and features of mass media texts.
• Considering the impact of connotation on word choice in mass media texts.
• Noticing the linguistic structures and features peculiar to particular mass media texts.
• Employing the linguistic structures and features of particular mass media text types in their own writing.

• Learning more about non-literary mass media texts such as news reports by comparing the way the same events are reported in different television news programs, and different newspapers and magazines.

• Constructing media texts, such as advertisements for the same product, for different media (radio, television, magazine, newspaper, etc.)

• Learning how to use formal Australian English to construct a range of texts, both for school purposes and for purposes relevant to students’ lives outside school.
• Using language for a variety of purposes associated with their school work, such as:
  • exploring ideas in discussion and writing
  • personal reflection in journals and diaries
  • making notes and summaries
• Learning how to plan and develop formal arguments about complex issues.
• Learning how to sustain a point of view by using evidence.
• Learning how to reach logical conclusions.
• Learning how to plan and present formal essays and other expository texts (spoken as well as written) in order to explore an expanding range of moral, ethical and political issues.
• Learning various ways of managing large amounts of complex information, by (for example):
  • making notes
  • summarising ideas and information
  • writing a point form summary of an argument
  • taking minutes
  • compiling an agenda for a meeting
• Learning to use appropriately the language associated with an increasing involvement in society (as part-time workers and consumers, as members of clubs and sporting bodies) such as:
  • filling out forms that require attention to accuracy and detail
  • understanding legal language
  • writing formal letters
  • speaking to a range of people for a variety of purposes
  • recognising various forms of occupational jargon
• Working with their peers in teacher chosen and self-chosen groups which are increasingly self-managed, by:
  • allocating roles
  • setting time-lines
  • deciding how to present results, etc.

• Learning more about the specific effects on texts (spoken and written) of context, audience and purpose.
• Learning about the differences between speech and writing, and the advantages and disadvantages of each in different circumstances.
• Examining the way language influences and is influenced by human activities (for example, the way vocabulary and accent reflect - and are interpreted in terms of - power relationships in society).
• Developing a more sophisticated understanding of how audiences may be affected by texts and aspects of texts (such as the ways in which non-standard or informal varieties of English may be interpreted and judged by some people on certain contexts).

• Learning more about the linguistic features of formal Australian English, including how to use and control complex sentences using:
• embedded and subordinate clauses- active and passive voice
• nominalisation
• Acquiring increasing control over punctuation in simple, complex and compound sentences through the use of:
  • colons
  • semi-colons
  • brackets
  • dashes
• Producing longer spoken and written texts in which succinctness is achieved by using:
  • conjunctions
  • pronouns
  • word repetition or synonyms
  • ellipsis
• Learning the function of paragraphs as structural devices.
• Developing some understanding of the linguistic differences between spoken and written texts (in density and complexity, for example).
• Observing, discussing and experimenting with ways in which the following linguistic structures and features influence others:
  • body language
  • intonation
  • vocabulary
  • rhythm
  • similes and metaphors
  • text structure
  • the use of colloquial or informal Australian English.

• Learning how to analyse the ideas and information in texts how to reflect on the strategies they use, and how to consider alternatives.Ÿ Learning strategies for speaking, such as:
• outlining key information on cue cards
• keeping to time limits
• selecting suitable visual props.
• Learning strategies for listening, such as how to record key information in a systematic way.
• Extending their knowledge of how to read texts for information (by highlighting, note-making) or for specific purposes (by browsing, skimming, scanning, identifying key words and phrases, and using indexes).
• Learning how to clarify the key features of writing tasks, such as:
  • identifying topic, purpose and audience
  • anticipating the needs and expectations of readers.
• Learning how to plan their work and to improve first drafts by:
  • using thesauruses and spelling checkers
  • re-organising sentence order
  • varying sentence length and construction
  • using attractive layout and appropriate sub-headings
• Studying text models in order to learn from them.
• Continuing to develop their skills in gathering data for investigative purposes and summarising, analysing and reporting on it both orally and in writing.
• Using personal journals to record:
  • day to day experiences
  • jokes and anecdotes
  • feelings and reflections on important incidents
  • conversations
  • experimental writing
  • observations
  • goals for improving their skills in speaking and listening, reading and viewing and writing.