English
Course Description
Through a close study of prose fiction, Shakespearean drama, poetry, film and media texts, English students at GGS develop skills in analysing and evaluating how language features, images and vocabulary create meaning and contribute to the development of writers’ and directors’ individual styles.
In creating their own texts, students at GGS experiment with language features, stylistic devices, text structures and images for different purposes and audiences. When creating and editing their texts, students demonstrate their understanding of spelling, punctuation and grammar, and vary voice and vocabulary for intended effect.
The emphasis in the English classroom at GGS is on creating a community of inquiry. Students practise their speaking and listening skills by reflecting on, extending, endorsing or challenging their peers’ interpretations of and responses to texts. They explain, in spoken form, different viewpoints, attitudes and perspectives, and plan, rehearse and deliver their own oral presentations.
The English curriculum opens with a unit focusing on the craft of creating written texts. This is undertaken with a focus on the ideas framework of ‘Writing About Adventure’ and is informed by the study of a range of mentor texts sourced collaboratively between students and teachers. In Term 2, students study a novel, refining their reading practices in preparation for VCE and IB course offerings. In Semester Two, students study Shakespeare’s Macbeth, enabling them to critically examine the conventions of a drama text and to explore and justify interpretations. Students also engage with media texts and issues, through the lens of a unit of inquiry focused on ‘Great Speeches’.
Students intending to progress to English as an Additional Language (EAL) are supported in their language acquisition and consolidation of communication competencies, enabling them to communicate effectively in spoken and written English for social and academic purposes.
ASSESSMENT – Semester 1
- Responding analytically (60%)
- Crafting Texts (40%)
ASSESSMENT – Semester 2
- Responding analytically (40%)
- Analysis of Argument and Language (30%)
- Oral Presentation or Spoken Text (30%)
Literature: Timeless Texts
Prerequisites Nil
Course Study Semester One only
Course Description
Year 10 Literature electives are an expansive exploration of the literary canon and beyond. Students begin by exploring and questioning what makes a “classic” text, and how we assess and bestow literary merit. Students will be invited to question how we should ‘understand’ the literary canon and the voices that are amplified and celebrated.
Students participate in independent inquiry and exploration, providing a breadth of opportunities to engage with texts.
Literary Genres and Movements such as the Classical and Medieval Periods, the Renaissance, Romantic, Gothic and Victorian eras are studied, encompassing writers and texts through to the end of the 19th Century.
ASSESSMENT
- Oral Presentation on the Canon (25%)
- Creative Response (25%)
- Viva Voce Oral (25%)
- Written Examination (25%)
Literature: Contemporary Creations
Course Study Semester Two only
Prerequisites Nil
Course Description
Students can study Contemporary Creations as a standalone elective or as a continuation of their learning from Timeless Texts in Semester One. Encountering texts from the 20th Century through to the present day, students engage with the vitality and vibrancy of literary texts in a variety of forms and genres.
Studying literary works across key movements and genres of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, students will consider the works of iconic Modernist writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Virginia Woolf. They will study the features of genre fiction and delve into how contemporary readers find, enjoy and share their experiences using social media.
ASSESSMENT
1. Oral Presentation on a Literary Movement (25%)
2. Creative Response (25%)
3. Viva Voce Oral (25%)
4. Written Examination (25%)