VCE English – Units 3 & 4

Mentone Grammar School - 2011

Outcomes are set by VCAA There are three outcomes Each outcome covers an Area of Study AoS1 – Reading and Responding AoS2 – Creating and Presenting AoS3-Using Language to Persuade

Unit 3

This contributes 30 marks out of the 10 marks for School Assessed Coursework for Unit 3. It will be assessed by one task which will be worth 30 marks

Analyse, either orally or in writing how a selected text constructs meaning, conveys ideas and values, and is open to a range of interpretations.

You must demonstrate the following skills: Understanding of ideas, characters and themes Understanding of the ways that the author constructs

meaning Cont.

AOS1 – Reading and Responding

Understanding of the social, historical and/or cultural values embodied in the text

Show the ways that the text can be open to different interpretations

Plan and revise written work for expressiveness, fluency and coherence or plan and deliver an effective oral text

Demonstrating outcome 1 cont.

The text chosen to allow you to demonstrate outcome 1 in 2008 is Geraldine Brooks’ text Year of Wonders – A Journal of the Plague Year

You will continue to read this over the holidays and complete all holiday homework related to it

Prepare to read your text more than once and highlight key ideas, themes and character or plot events

Outcome 1 at Mentone Grammar

Draw on ideas and/or arguments suggested by a chosen Context to create written texts for a specific audience and purpose and discuss and analyse in writing your decisions about form and purpose, language, audience and context.

This outcome will contribute 30 marks out of 100 marks allocated to School Assessed Coursework for Unit 3. It will be assessed by one or more tasks, which contribute a total of 30 marks

Your task is to create a sustained written text for a specific audience and context

AOS 2 – Creating and Presenting

You must included a written explanation of decisions about form, purpose, language, audience and context

You will read a text which will help you to understand the Context and give you some ideas about the requirements of the task

The chosen Context at Mentone Grammar is ‘Whose Reality?’

AOS2 cont.

The chosen text through which to explore the Context in 2010 is Robert Drewe’s novel The Shark Net

This memoir is about a young man who grew up in Perth in the 1960s and the very different values he had from his parents

It explores many themes related to the idea that each person has their own version of reality and this can be affected by generational norms

You are required to read this over the holiday period and complete the holiday homework related to it.

Outcome 2 Chosen Text

Analyse the language in texts that present a point of view on an issue currently debated in the Australian media and construct, orally or in writing, a sustained and reasoned point of view on the selected issue

This outcome will contribute 40 marks out of the 100 marks allocated to School Assessed Coursework for unit 3. It will be assessed by two tasks, each of which will contribute 20 marks

One task in unit 3 must be assessed orally Either outcome 1 or outcome 3 (task 2) will be

assessed orally

AOS3 – Using Language to Persuade

Two tasks are required to meet this outcome 1. Writing which analyses the use of

language in three or more persuasive texts that debate a current issue in the Australian media

This will be a comparison 2. a sustained and reasoned point of view on

the selected issue in oral or written form

Meeting Outcome 3

There are two Areas of Study and two outcomes in unit 4

AOS 1 is a Reading and Responding outcome AOS 2 is a Creating and Presenting outcome

Unit 4

Develop and justify and interpretation of a selected text

This outcome will contribute 50 marks out of the 100 marks allocated to the School Assessed Coursework for Unit 4. It will be assessed by one task which will be worth 50 marks

AOS 1 – Reading and Responding

The Text chosen at Mentone Grammar in 2010 will be the film text On the Waterfront starring Marlon Brando

This task requires an extended written interpretation of the selected text

This outcome will contribute a total of 50 marks out of the 100 marks allocated to School Assessed Coursework for unit4. It will be assessed by one task which will contribute a total of 50 marks

Outcome 1 in 2010

You need to demonstrate the following: Presentation of a sustained and detailed

interpretation of a selected text supported by textual evidence

An understanding of the ideas, themes and characters constructed and presented in the selected text

Analyse the ways in which the author constructs meaning and expresses or implies a point of view and values

How to meet the outcome

Use appropriate metalanguage in presenting the interpretation

Plan and revise written work for expressiveness, fluency and coherence

As this is a film text, you will also be expected to understand the ways in which film techniques contribute to meaning in the text

How to meet the outcome

This is the same as for unit 3 The Text chosen in 2010 for this outcome in

Unit 4 is Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire

This outcome will contribute 50 marks allocated to school assessed coursework for unit 4. it will be assessed by one or more tasks which will contribute a total of 50 marks.

AOS 2 – Creating and Presenting

The examination at the end of the year is worth 50% of your overall mark

The earlier you prepare for this the better You should regularly revise all of your notes on

each text and on AOS 3 Your texts should have been read several times

and should have highlighted the main points Keep all notes neatly organised- you may wish

to separate your notes into areas of study.

The Examination

See a teacher if you need assistance Your first stop should always be your

classroom teacher Seek help as soon as possible if you are

having difficulty understanding something Your teacher should be your first port of call

– they understand the requirements of the subject and are experienced in teaching it, their help is invaluable!

How the school will help

Extra classes will be offered at various times on request

At exam times extra assistance is offered to students to help with revision

You will be given a clear timeline with the dates of class activities, SACs and exams

It is your responsibility to keep this and refer to it If there are changes to SAC times you will be

notified at least a week in advance

Help cont.

Make sure you are thoroughly organised for learning

Create a separate folder for all of your texts Create folders for persuasive language and

for the Context Take class notes in every class and for every

discussion Make sure you do all of the required class

work and homework

What you need to do

Make sure you have a quite place to study at home READ WIDELY – this is crucial to your success in

English Get a newspaper subscription – you need to be

aware of current issues and to read persuasive texts Research your topics in depth – find a variety of

sources Record all sources where you find and use

information – there are very strict rules about using work that is not your own - plagiarism

What you need to do

You need to work hard to reach your goals Use all of the resources available to you What else do you think you can do?

What else?