Leeming Senior High School English Department Year 8 Curriculum This unit outline was prepared by Mrs L. Longmire, Head of Department English, and adapted for use by each teacher. Rationale: Australian Curriculum The study of English is central to the learning and development of all young Australians. It helps create confident communicators, imaginative thinkers and informed citizens. It is through the study of English that individuals learn to analyse, understand, communicate with and build relationships with others and with the world around them. The study of English helps young people develop the knowledge and skills needed for education, training and the workplace. It helps them become ethical, thoughtful, informed and active members of society. In this light it is clear that the Australian Curriculum: English plays an important part in developing the understanding, attitudes and capabilities of those who will take responsibility for Australia’s future. Although Australia is a linguistically and culturally diverse country, participation in many aspects of Australian life depends on effective communication in Standard Australian English. In addition, proficiency in English is invaluable globally. The Australian Curriculum: English contributes both to nationbuilding and to internationalisation. The Australian Curriculum: English also helps students to engage imaginatively and critically with literature to expand the scope of their experience. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have contributed to Australian society and to its contemporary literature and its literary heritage through their distinctive ways of representing and communicating knowledge, traditions and experience. The Australian Curriculum: English values, respects and explores this contribution. It also emphasises Australia’s links to Asia. Aims The Australian Curriculum: English aims to ensure that students:  learn to listen to, read, view, speak, write, create and reflect on increasingly complex and sophisticated spoken, written and multimodal texts across a growing range of contexts with accuracy, fluency and purpose  appreciate, enjoy and use the English language in all its variations and develop a sense of its richness and power to evoke feelings, convey information, form ideas, facilitate interaction with others, entertain, persuade and argue  understand how Standard Australian English works in its spoken and written forms and in combination with non‐linguistic forms of communication to create meaning  develop interest and skills in inquiring into the aesthetic aspects of texts, and develop an informed appreciation of literature. Strands and substrands Content descriptions in each strand are grouped into substrands that, across the year levels, present a sequence of development of knowledge, understanding and skills. The substrands are: language Language variation and change Language for interaction Text structure and organisation Expressing and developing ideas Sound and letter knowledge literature Literature and context literacy Texts in context Responding to literature Examining literature Creating literature Interacting with others Interpreting, analysing and evaluating Creating texts 2
Year 8 achievement standard Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing) 
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By the end of Year 8, students understand how the selection of text structures is influenced by the selection of language mode and how this varies for different purposes and audiences. Students explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used to represent different ideas and issues in texts. Students interpret texts, questioning the reliability of sources of ideas and information. They select evidence from the text to show how events, situations and people can be represented from different viewpoints. They listen for and identify different emphases in texts, using that understanding to elaborate upon discussions. Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating) 
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Students understand how the selection of language features can be used for particular purposes and effects. They explain the effectiveness of language choices they use to influence the audience. Through combining ideas, images and language features from other texts, students show how ideas can be expressed in new ways. Students create texts for different purposes, selecting language to influence audience response. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, using language patterns for effect. When creating and editing texts to create specific effects, they take into account intended purposes and the needs and interests of audiences. They demonstrate understanding of grammar, select vocabulary for effect and use accurate spelling and punctuation. And now for the ‘student‐friendly’ information you really need to understand: Key Concepts In developing this program of study, teachers have planned a pathway of skill development. The upper school English course/s requires certain higher order thinking skills – and a number of key concepts are utilised. To ensure that you, as students, will have the necessary foundations in place by the time you are planning to sit the WACE Examination or to graduate, these key concepts will be introduced and the fundamentals taught carefully this year. Next year in Year 9, these same concepts will be developed in more depth, and again in Year 10. By the time you are entering Year 11, these concepts should be well‐
embedded and you will be able to use these skills and ideas with higher order thinking. Some of the key concepts developed in English are: Narrative, Genre, Theme, Construction, Context, Attitudes and Values, Representation, Intertextuality and Ideology but there are many others as well. All work in English is designed to encourage your thinking skills as is shown in Bloom’s Taxonomy: 3
High Order Thinking [HOTS] Low Order Thinking [LOTS] Like any skill development, learning to think effectively is hard work. It takes effort, persistence and practice. Learning any new skill requires the teacher to introduce the skill, teach it at its simplest level, and then provide practice. With practice, you as the learner, become more confident and the teacher will then provide more challenge – add complexity to the skill. Eventually, you practice the skill so often you develop mastery. It may be easier to understand this if you think about learning a physical skill. For example, if you are learning a sport, you will be taught each skill, and you will be given lots of practice, on your own and in groups. Then other skills will be taught and you will practice them until you are confident and efficient. The teacher will then combine the skills and you will practice them together in small practice sessions, building confidence until you play a game. Eventually, with further practice you may even be included in competitions with other groups. With mastery, you may be included in teams at State or National Level. Similarly with English, the skills will be taught carefully in a simplified form. With practice through Years, 8, 9 and 10, you will have opportunities to demonstrate how well you have developed these skills, and some of the opportunities will be very competitive – we call them Examinations. By the end of Year 12, the competition will have broadened to include all other Year 12 students across the state. Depending on how you rank in competition, your skills will be rated for entry to courses at Universities and State Training Providers, where if you are successful in gaining a place, you will develop these thinking skills even further. 4
Our society values Literacy – functional and critical – that is, using correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar in properly structured ways and then thinking critically and logically about the world, about what we hear, see and read. Without literacy it is very difficult to function in our society. On the other hand, being highly literate builds our confidence and gives us power. Language is power. The more we can use and control language, the more powerful we will be. Teachers [as required by the curriculum] will use texts – books, short stories, articles, documentaries, feature films etc ‐to develop your literacy skills. You will apply the skills you are learning to the texts you read and watch and discuss the ideas you find or create. Your ability to analyse and evaluate the ideas you encounter or create will be measured to determine how literate you are. It is essential therefore, that you listen carefully, learn the skills you are being taught [some of the definitions you may have to learn off by heart], and practice them regularly. Homework and assignments are practices for you. These activities allow you to have a go at using the concepts yourself and showing how well you can use them to think about the texts you are studying in English. This also explains why, when you’ve put a LOT of work into an essay or piece of writing, you get a low mark. The English teacher is evaluating the level of thinking you are using. If you ‘retell the story’ [a very common explanation placed on student work], you are working at REMEMBERING, whereas if you are able to explain how this story links to another story you have read and as a result, you now understand more about an issue like parenting [or feminism or violence or .....] then you are demonstrating thinking in the EVALUATING/CREATING zone of Bloom’s taxonomy. So try to push your answers up into the HOTS – as yourself ‘what’s my point? What am I trying to communicate here?’ Because the texts – short stories, novels, feature articles, films and such are the basis of the courses, it is important to read them carefully [or watch them if they are visual texts] and you need to be connected to them as you read. You need to be mentally asking questions such as: Why did the author organise the events in this sequence? Why don’t I like this character? Is this family like mine? Asking questions as you go will help you develop the thinking skills you are being taught and will also help you stay focused as you study. In Reading: This means active reading. That is, you, the reader, actively challenge what you are reading and question the text. Trying to guess what will happen or carrying on a mental argument with the author (Why did she do that? What is going to happen next? Why did that surprise me as it was a logical plot progression?) all help to keep you, the reader, interested and involved in the text, while generating an overall meaning. Formulating and solving puzzles can be very pleasurable and rewarding and if we read texts as puzzles we can experience real satisfaction from the responses we gain from them. ‐ Think about the genre that you’re reading – what do you expect of this type of writing? ‐ What is the significance of this particular detail, event, form of words? ‐ How does it connect with other details, episodes? ‐ What is this preparing us for? ‐ What kinds of things might happen? ‐ How does this event affect my interpretation of what has gone before? ‐ What am I learning about this character and his or her relationships with others? ‐ Why was the character included in this story at all? ‐ If I were this character, how would I act? ‐ Whose point of view is being presented here? Why? ‐ Why is the author offering this character's point of view at this stage? ‐ What is the implied author's view of this character/that particular behaviour/the human condition as a whole? ‐ How is the author making me feel about this character/that behaviour/the human condition? ‐ How is he or she doing this? 5
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Is my view of the world changing as I match it with the author's? What techniques is the author using to position me/manipulate my response? Why is the setting described in that way? Does this create a mood/tone? How does that affect my reading of this? Students are encouraged to practice these skills constantly. The more the critical thinking skills are honed, the greater the depth of meaning that is perceived. In writing: Writing is a process – you need to write and then revisit your work to improve and craft it. It takes time and effort and your teacher will be able to tell whether you’ve crafted your work when they read it. When you write you need to think about the following: ‐ Use correct and complete sentences ‐ paragraphing is essential and paragraphs should have a topic sentence, supporting sentences, examples and a linking sentence. ‐ in longer pieces, plan your work ‐ use an introduction, body and conclusion ‐ ensure that work is structured and that ideas are logically sequenced and connected – make sure you order your ideas with the most important one first, the second most important idea following that, then the third, fourth and so on. You need to hierarchically organise your ideas and present them from strongest to weakest – and make sure they are actually connected to the topic! ‐ support your ideas with evidence from the text being studied ‐ reference any idea you ‘borrow’ – DO NOT PLAGIARISE [or use/steal other people’s ideas/writing] – instead prepare a reference list/bibliography and acknowledge your sources ‐ spelling, punctuation and grammar need to be immaculate ‐ written language should be formal and slang only used appropriately in creative writing ‐ Work should be neatly presented, either handwritten in pen or printed with at least a 12 font, with broad margins for marking ‐ Handwriting should be legible – neatly spaced, neither too large or too small [if it’s not good, you need to practice it to improve – talk to your teacher who will provide you with some practice formats] If your writing cannot be read easily – you are NOT literate – simple! So fix it! You will need it to be readable when you are under stress situations – tests and exams. Spelling is a code, and like any code, there are rules you must follow. If your spelling isn’t good, get a small notebook and keep a list of words that cause you difficulty. Make an effort to find the ‘word trees’ that are the problem. Once you have worked that out, you can find the rule that you may not have learnt in primary school. Practice the correct spelling and use that word in your handwritten work so you remember the correct spelling. Words are your tools – the more you have of them the better ‐ so ensure you expand your vocabulary constantly. Listen carefully when you are watching TV or listening to songs or the radio, or even to people talk – collect new words and add them to the Journal you will keep in English. You’ll soon build up your vocabulary. In oral work: Preparation, practice, presentation – the three Ps! So GET ORGANISED! Preparation includes thorough research – it is important that you do not limit yourself to internet sources and if you do collect information from the internet, you need to question the source and evaluate the ‘generator’ for authenticity [Would there be people out there who want to spread a lie about the information? Is the author of what you’re reading a credible person/group/source?]. Again structure is critical ‐ introduction, body and conclusion are essential. The talk needs to address the question/topic and include evidence to support the points being made. Edit it carefully. 6
Practice is critical. The talk should be so ‘second nature’ that you barely need notes. This will free you [the speaker] from your notes allowing you to engage/interact with the audience – look up at people and watch their reaction to what you’re saying. Speakers need to be aware that the language of speech is different to oral language – there are no ‘headings’ and, while formality is essential, the language structures are very different to written language. If you use powerpoint slides, it is essential that the spelling is correct and they are well laid out without too much information. [And never, ever read straight from the slide! That insults your audience!] When presenting your talk, think about performance aspects. Think about ways to structure your presentation to make it interesting. Can you use costumes or props to add interest? Posture is important as is pacing – don’t talk too fast, or read from your notes. Go online and watch some of the TED talks http://www.ted.com/talks to get ideas about how good speakers present themselves and their information. Try to model yourself on some of the good speakers you see. There are plenty of examples on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J3dbY‐8xJw With Viewing: Visual texts are very complex and we can draw a great deal of meaning from them. A feature film is a collection of still images – many, many thousands of them. So a single picture is the base unit of more complex visual images like films or documentaries. Complex texts like feature films need to be watched more than once. Notes need to be taken while viewing. The media codes and conventions should be used in analysis [you will be taught these!] and examples selected to illustrate the points to be made. The skills you will learn include the ‘SWAT’ codes – symbolic, written, audio and technical – [along with concepts such as mise‐en‐scene and generic conventions] and you will use them as tools to examine how visual texts are crafted. When you think about a movie, you will be able to think about its narrative line, setting, the development of the characters and the themes developed to identify the messages the film‐maker intended [or didn’t intend] to convey. You will learn how persuasive texts [e.g. advertising] works and with that knowledge, avoid being manipulated by the visual image. The fundamental process of visual analysis is: Observe Interpret Conclude If you don’t follow the process and simply jump to conclusion, you can miss, or overlook a lot of important information that you would have picked up if you’d carefully applied the process. Texts Texts are communication of complex meanings: books, films, articles, blogs, social media, pictures, feature films, documentaries, sit coms, the News etc. The assigned texts are simply the objects of study. We could have selected other books, short stories or films...but we chose these particular ones because they have sufficient depth to allow students to work with their skills and display their understandings. Many popular texts lack that depth, so we have spent a LOT of time thinking about the books and films we will study during the year. We have tried to find texts you will find interesting. All texts should be read as many times as you can. If we are reading a feature article, poem, short story or watching a film or documentary, at least two complete run‐throughs are needed. If a novel is assigned, the whole novel should be read and read thoroughly – the first read‐
through you are just getting to know the story. Subsequent readings allow you to think about the craftsmanship. [That is why we put books on the booklist – this allows you to read the 7
book during your holidays, ready to re‐read it when you’re about to study it in class.] One of the key concepts of the English Curriculum is Intertextuality – links in ideas from one text to another – which means that when we read texts, they help us to understand other texts. Think about this idea by considering fairy tales. We have all read [or been exposed to] the fairytale of Snow White by the Brothers Grimm. We know the story because it’s a common story in our society, made famous by Disney. In 2012, the film Mirror, Mirror was released. It is a new interpretation of this old fairytale. It is a comedy/fantasy, whereas the original story was a gothic horror tale. When we bring our knowledge of the old tale to this new movie we can make judgements about the craftsmanship of the film and consider the ‘new meanings’ that the production team were encouraging. There are many other variations on this tale in many languages, such as Snow White Once Upon A Time [2011]; Snow White and the Huntsman [2012]; The Disney animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937); and the story was parodied in the film Snow White and the Three Stooges (1961) and other films like that. Unless we are aware of the old tale on which these movies are based, we are unable to see the depth of horror, humour or parody that is being developed. Whatever text or issue is being studied, you can improve your performance by undertaking further research and familiarizing yourself with the context [circumstances surrounding the event/novel/author] or supplementary issues. For example, if the book is set during war time, which war was it? When did that happen? Who was involved? What were they fighting about? When did it end? What else can you find out about this event? And so on.... Some advice before you begin this course..... When attempting work on an assigned task, it is very important that you read and re‐read the objective and requirements. One of the most frustrating experiences students can have is to work very hard on a task and score poorly as they have failed to answer the question or used LOTS (see Bloom’s above)! It is also important that when you are given a choice of task or issue, the decision is taken quickly and you then stick to that choice. Much time can be lost while you try to decide between options. It is also critical that you take on board advice. If a teacher or librarian makes suggestions as to possible avenues of research, it’s important to listen carefully and to act on the advice – such advice will assist you to maintain the focus of your investigation and provides critical suggestions of expansion of your ideas. If texts must be selected for study, you are encouraged to choose texts which are accessible [easy to get hold of] and relevant [deal with 8
topics related to your study]. But the most important suggestions ...DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. Delaying tasks, or delaying study, is to choose to fail. Choose to succeed and get down to it! Get on with the work. Homework and Assignments In order to prepare you for the demands of upper school and university [and life of course] we need to get you into the good habit of practicing and perfecting your skills at a pace you are comfortable with, and ensure you complete the necessary preparation for the teaching program. As a result, homework is essential in each English Unit. You will be expected to complete regular homework tasks. There are three types of homework tasks you will need to do – there are weekly practice/revision activities [such as comprehension questions/grammar and spelling exercises etc], and there are assignment tasks which will allow you to demonstrate your performance of the skills we have been teaching [such as a writing a short story or completing a storyboard]. Then there are revision/study activities you will need to undertake. These activities practice the reading/writing/concept development skills that will make the difference between bare minimum literacy and really understanding why communication is so important and mastering these skills [the difference between a D/C grade and a B/A grade]. This third category means you will need to practice your writing regularly, by completing journal writing tasks or studying the notes/text you have been given in readiness for tests and exams. You will be expected to do at least two hours of homework each week in English. You will ALWAYS have homework/study to do in English so please do not tell you parents you have no homework. In this Outline you will find a plan for homework – teachers may give you other tasks but this plan ensures you understand you have work to do each week. One of these essential tasks is journal writing. You will be required to write a journal entry each week. "IF YOU FAIL TO GO WITHIN, YOU GO WITHOUT" Journals come in many forms and they are an important form of writing in the English classroom ‐ writing to learn. When we write to learn, we attempt to make personal sense of our experience as well as build connections between what we know and new ideas we encounter. This type of writing helps us to construct our own knowledge, develop our thinking and reflect on our learning. It is part of the process by which understanding can be communicated to others in a range of written and oral genres. Journals range from informal personal journals in which students [that’s you!] express their private thoughts, to structured learning logs in which you record your thoughts, questions and comments about your learning and make plans for future work. What is the purpose of a journal? This depends on the type of journal the student is using. However, using journals are useful in that they  encourage us to think and articulate thoughts,  make our learning personal,  support self‐exploration and self‐discovery,  focus our attention on values, attitudes and ethical issues,  support the key learning processes of negotiation, collaboration and reflection,  improve writing Broadly speaking, there are five types of journal used in English. 9
1. Personal journals: Students record events in their lives, explore ideas, questions, fears, concerns and other thoughts, often not related to school. Entries can include sketches, diagrams, doodles, cartoons, etc. These journals are usually shared only with the teacher and close friends. Suggested topics:  Entertaining and detailed description of a sports/entertainment/family event (e.g. game of football, a wedding, your little sister's first birthday etc)  how you feel about trying to get a job/a boyfriend/a new pet/a black eye  why you like a particular song/a book/a movie/a television show/ – i.e. what the text communicates to you about life  your feelings about having surgery/going to the dentist/sitting a music exam/visiting your horse  the description of what is involved in a particular craft – describing your interest in knitting/Warhammer/miniatures/sewing/woodwork/gardening/social networking/netball/dance  describing a visit to your nanna/your old school/the Australia Day fireworks/Singapore/ the cinema/another state/a church/the museum etc  an exploration of 'what if' e.g.– how society would be different if we started of old and ended up as babies/a virus killed everyone over the age of 18/women were stronger than men/you developed telepathy/you could fly etc Journals allow writers to: • make observations — to capture in words what is interesting and worthwhile • ask questions about any topic • speculate — to wonder about the meaning of events, facts, patterns, feelings • explain ideas and theories • digress from topics to explore other ideas • reflect on past experience by looking at earlier entries and noticing changes. 2. Dialogue journals: (Written conversations): These can be similar to personal journal; however, in dialogue journals, the teacher/or another student (e.g. a friend) writes a response to what students have written. Over a period of time, the student and teacher/student/friend carry on a written conversation, most often related to school work, but sometimes related to personal thoughts and feelings. 3. Learning Logs: These are a form of journal that focuses on work that students are doing in the classroom and generally does not include comments about personal matters. Learning logs work best if teachers respond regularly to what students write, but they require fewer responses than dialogue journals. 4. Reading Logs: Students use reading logs to record what they have read, respond personally to and analyse texts. Range of ideas to use for making entries in reading logs:  write character reports in which we report on what we know about different characters at different stages of our reading  adopt a character where we work in groups focusing on particular characters and build up an in depth profile including extracts from the text  create a diary in which we make an imaginary diary by one of the characters at various key stages of the novel  construct a plot profile, often in graphic form, in which we record the key events of a novel.  make reflective comments where we refer back to the text to identify developments and changes in action and characterisation  construct flow charts and relationship charts (literary sociograms) in which students note key moments and relationships among characters at important points in the novel write a poem using favourite descriptive words or phrases from a novel redesign the cover of a novel with a particular audience in mind list the ten most important things about a novel draft a letter to the author or one of the main characters complete a number of statements, for example: what I most wanted to happen was; what I really liked was; what surprised me was; what I most admired about the main character was, etc. 10
 create a story board for a dramatic scene in the text  draft an advertisement aimed at a particular audience for the book you are reading 5. Writer's Notebook Most authors keep a writers' notebook of some kind in which they jot down their observations thoughts and feelings, stick in interesting bits from newspapers and magazines, write down snippets of conversation they have heard, all of which provide a stimulus for writing. Students can do the same thing. Many authors use their writer's notebook to engage in free writing. Free writing enables them to engage in the act of writing and lets thoughts and feelings flow. Although they may not immediately use the free writing, they can go back to it for inspiration at another time. Source: www.discover.tased.edu.au Your teacher will collect your journal approximately once a term and read it –so keep in mind that your audience includes your teacher [so please do not use inappropriate language or say thing that may offend]. An extended entry will be required because you are practicing your writing – at least a page each week please! How often the journal is collected will depend on your teacher and how they are managing their marking load, so you will need to listen carefully and write into this outline when you will need to make sure your journal is ready to be handed in. However, the one thing you need to do is make sure you complete an entry EVERY WEEK. Do NOT procrastinate! Trying to write ten journal entries in the last week of term is a nightmare! Do at least ONE each week. You are being assessed on this so make the effort to do a good job. Your journal is a reflection of who you are and will be good evidence of your performance when teachers are discussing the progress of the whole group of students. It is also an important contributing mark towards your final grade. Facing texts and examinations Tests and examinations are designed to measure your understanding of, and ability to use, the skills that have been taught during the course. They are not designed to evaluate what you do not know or to ‘trap you’ or catch you out. If you’ve been paying attention, doing regular reading of the notes/your textbook/the texts under study, completing the journal writing tasks, you’ll be able to do a little re‐reading and be ready for the assessment. However, there are particular skills in undertaking a test or examination which are just as important to learn as all the other concepts and skills we’ve outlined here. In an examination you have some resources: your knowledge/skills/understandings, and TIME. Try to use both well. You are usually given 10 minutes reading – use that time effectively to read through the paper and start planning your responses. You then have a set period of time, usually an hour or more, in which to provide your responses. In exams, make sure you read your instructions carefully and work out how many questions you MUST answer. Divide your time up between the question on a ratio of time=marks. That is, if the question is worth 50% of the marks, allow half of the time to that question. If it’s worth 33% ‐ then allow a third of your time for that question. Then:  Read the question carefully.  Break down the question into key words.  Carefully think about what you’re being asked to do.  Plan your response – write a few notes/words down in response to the key words, making sure you have covered all aspects of the question.  Think about how you will respond to the question and what evidence [text/s] you will use to justify your arguments.  Consider your HOTS – make sure you are actually analysing, NOT re‐telling.  Then – do not worry about whether you have chosen the right question – just write and write as much as you can. A paragraph is NOT an extended response and if the question is worth 30% of the paper, you need to write about two pages at least. 11
Examinations are serious stuff! Once you enter the Examination Room you are expected to be silent. Any communication with any other student will be viewed as cheating. Don’t do it. Always communicate with or though the invigilators [supervisors]. Out of respect for the quiet space of the examination room, do not hum, whistle, giggle or create any noise [by screwing up paper or repeatedly zipping up your pencil case, tapping your pencil/pen or any similar behaviour] – such activities will be treated as disrespectful and will result in consequences. Books We have placed a variety of books on the booklist. At Year 8, you should have purchased MacMillan English 8 for the Australian Curriculum MacMillan National English Skills 8 Workbook The Cay We assume you will have access to a dictionary – you probably have one from primary school or one in the house. You may be able to use on‐line dictionaries. You are expected to come to English prepared for class. Bring the required texts and whatever stationery you need to do the tasks. As a result of this expectation, there will be discipline if you are not prepared for class. 12