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Note: the following Scope and Sequence is in draft form.
Unit Title | NSW English Syllabus Outcome
| Australian English Curriculum, V.9.0 | Essential Learning Goal/Mode | Type of Unit | Sentence-level grammar and punctuation | Unit Focus/Rationale |
Year 7 | ||||||
Picture books | EN4-URA-01 analyses how meaning is created through the use of and response to language forms, features and structures EN4-URC-01 identifies and explains ways of valuing texts and the connections between them EN4-ECA-01 creates personal, creative and critical texts for a range of audiences by using linguistic and stylistic conventions of language to express ideas | LANGUAGE Language for interacting with others Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Engaging with and responding to literature Examining literature Creating literature LITERACY Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Creating texts Word knowledge | Reading Viewing Responding Creating Planning, monitoring and revising
| Genre Study | Modality | This unit of work provides students with the opportunity to explore the genre of picture books for both adults and children. Students learn about the definitions, features, styles, genres and types of picture books. Students develop an understanding of and skills in creating the various written and visual elements of picture books, including the front and back cover and narrative elements such as characters and settings. They read, listen to, view and speak about various traditional and multi-modal picture books from different times and places. Students apply their knowledge and skills about these written and visual elements by creating their own picture book for either a child or adult audience. |
Transformation and A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness | EN4-URA-01 analyses how meaning is created through the use of and response to language forms, features and structures EN4-URB-01 examines and explains how texts represent ideas, experiences and values EN4-ECA-01 creates personal, creative and critical texts for a range of audiences by using linguistic and stylistic conventions of language to express ideas | LANGUAGE Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Engaging with and responding to literature Examining literature LITERACY Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Word knowledge | Reading Listening Responding Creating Reflecting
| Theme / Novel Study |
| This unit of work focuses on a study of A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness to develop skills in analysing and writing about how the author uses characterisation, voice and transformation to tell an engaging and meaningful story. The unit is framed by the idea of ‘facing fears’. Students will reflect on their own fears and hopes and create texts that challenge their own assumptions about themselves. Students will write and deliver a speech about how the author uses characterisation, voice and transformation to create a compelling story. |
Stagecrafting and Honey Spot by Jack Davis | EN4-RVL-01 uses a range of personal, creative and critical strategies to read texts that are complex in their ideas and construction EN4-URA-01 analyses how meaning is created through the use of and response to language forms, features and structures EN4-URB-01 examines and explains how texts represent ideas, experiences and values EN4-ECA-01 creates personal, creative and critical texts for a range of audiences by using linguistic and stylistic conventions of language to express ideas | LANGUAGE Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Examining literature Creating literature LITERACY Interacting with others Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Word knowledge | Reading Speaking Listening Responding Creating | Genre / Play Study |
| In this unit, students explore the dramatic text Honey Spot by Jack Davis through reading, analysing and performing scenes. They develop an understanding of how dramatic meaning is created through dialogue, characterisation and stagecraft elements such as lighting, sound, props, costume and performance space. Students examine how the play represents ideas, relationships and cultural connections, including themes of friendship, racism and reconciliation. They analyse characters, setting, themes and plot, and explore how dramatic tension and meaning are communicated to an audience. Through performance and staging activities, students apply their understanding of stagecraft to interpret and present scenes. As part of the assessment task, students create detailed production notes (an overview of the play), including set, lighting, sound, costume and performance choices. They also develop a director’s design board and a prompt copy (an overview of a scene) to demonstrate their understanding of staging and dramatic intention. Students rehearse and perform a scene, applying their stagecraft knowledge to communicate meaning to an audience. Students reflect on their creative and performance choices, evaluating how stagecraft and performance communicate ideas and influence audience interpretation. This unit strengthens students’ skills in analysing, creating and performing dramatic texts, and deepens their understanding of how drama represents ideas, experiences and cultural perspectives. |
Issues in Narrative and Performance Poetry | EN4-RVL-01 uses a range of personal, creative and critical strategies to read texts that are complex in their ideas and construction EN4-ECA-01 creates personal, creative and critical texts for a range of audiences by using linguistic and stylistic conventions of language to express ideas EN4-URB-01 examines and explains how texts represent ideas, experiences and values
| LANGUAGE Language for interacting with others Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Literature and contexts Engaging with and responding to literature Examining literature Creating literature LITERACY Texts in context Interacting with others Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Word knowledge | Reading Speaking Viewing Listening Responding Creating Reflecting
| Poetry Study |
| This units gives students the opportunity to explore narrative poetry and performance or slam poetry from different times and historical, social and economic contexts. Student will explore a range of narrative poetry by a diverse range of composers from Australia and around the world to critically analyse the use of language features, text forms and structures of narrative and performance poetry. Students will look at the way poetry, as a form of telling stories, has changed and developed and consider the reasons for this. They will investigate important cultural issues reflected in the poems and assess the enduring nature of the poetic form. Similarly, students will explore how poetry moves them and brings about changes in attitudes, feelings and aspirations. The unit is framed by the key questions: How does poetry in all its various forms move you? What makes poetry a high art form? Students will critically evaluate the literary and personal merit of a chosen poem through a personal reflection, in the form of a presentation, whether that be multi-media, performance poetry, a speech or PowerPoint presentation. |
Will’s World and A Midsummer Night’s Dream | EN4-URB-01 examines and explains how texts represent ideas, experiences and values EN4-ECA-01 creates personal, creative and critical texts for a range of audiences by using linguistic and stylistic conventions of language to express ideas EN4-ECB-01 uses processes of planning, monitoring, revising and reflecting to support and develop composition of texts | LANGUAGE Language for interacting with others Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Literature and contexts Engaging with and responding to literature Examining literature LITERACY Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Creating texts Word knowledge | Reading Viewing Responding Creating Reflecting Planning, monitoring and revising
| Shakespeare Study |
| This unit introduces students to world of Shakespeare in a fun and interesting way. Students will become familiar with Elizabethan England and The Globe theatre. They will consider the historical, social and economic context of his time and compare this context to their own. They will also read and explore key scenes from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream by reading the original text snd comparing it to various adaptations of the text in film, theatre, graphic novels and narratives Students will also analyse the themes, ideas, characters and language in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream and other plays. Students will undertake research of Shakespeare’s time and place and visually present their understanding of the core themes in the play. This could be in the form of a performance, poster, reflection or costume/set design. |
The Hero’s Journey (Note, this unit can also be taught in Stage 5 (Years 9 or 10) | EN4-RVL-01 uses a range of personal, creative and critical strategies to read texts that are complex in their ideas and construction EN4-URA-01 analyses how meaning is created through the use of and response to language forms, features and structures EN4-URB-01 examines and explains how texts represent ideas, experiences and values EN4-ECA-01 creates personal, creative and critical texts for a range of audiences by using linguistic and stylistic conventions of language to express ideas EN4-ECB-01 uses processes of planning, monitoring, revising and reflecting to support and develop composition of texts | LANGUAGE Language for interacting with others Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Literature and contexts Engaging with and responding to literature Examining literature Creating literature LITERACY Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Creating texts Word knowledge | Reading Speaking Viewing Listening Responding Creating Reflecting Planning, monitoring and revising
| Genre/Film/Novel Study |
| This unit provides students with an opportunity to explore how composers use various devices to tell a story through the lens of Joseph Campbell’s ‘The Hero’s Journey’ and Maureen Murdock’s ‘The Heroine’s Journey.’ By engaging with a diverse range of texts—including literature, film, mythology, and real-life hero narratives—students will develop an understanding of how these structures shape storytelling and reflect cultural values. Students will analyse the mythology of stories and evaluate the representation of hero and heroine figures across fiction and non-fiction texts. They will explore how traditional and modern narratives challenge or reinforce societal perceptions of heroism. Through this, they will critically assess the role of gender, identity, and purpose in shaping heroic figures. The unit includes generic lessons on the hero’s journey, allowing students to study the structure within a novel, short story, or film of their choice. By examining their selected text, students will compare the structural elements of different hero’s journey narratives, develop character voice through stylistic analysis, and examine how themes such as sacrifice, transformation, and resilience contribute to compelling storytelling.Additionally, students will engage in creative and analytical tasks that foster deeper comprehension and practical application. To demonstrate their understanding, students will create a storyboard depicting a scene from a film—either an original composition or an adaptation of an existing scene—that illustrates the arc of the hero or heroine’s journey. This hands-on activity will allow students to apply their knowledge of narrative devices, visual storytelling, and thematic development while refining their creative expression and analytical thinking skills. By the end of the unit, students will have gained a nuanced appreciation of the hero’s journey as a universal storytelling framework and its relevance to contemporary narratives and real-world contexts. |
Year 8 | ||||||
Re-writing fairytales | EN4-RVL-01 uses a range of personal, creative and critical strategies to read texts that are complex in their ideas and construction EN4-URA-01 analyses how meaning is created through the use of and response to language forms, features and structures EN4-ECB-01 uses processes of planning, monitoring, revising and reflecting to support and develop composition of texts | LANGUAGE Language for interacting with others Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Literature and contexts Literature and contexts Examining literature Creating literature Interacting with others Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Creating texts Word knowledge | Reading Viewing Responding Creating Reflecting Planning, monitoring and revising
| Genre Study | In this unit of work students will analyse the fairytale genre from Europe and outside Europe and the purpose and audience of fairytales. Student will analyse narrative elements found in the fairytales, such as key ideas, motifs, ‘the hero’s journey’, archetypal characters and situations, themes and narrative voice. Students will explore intertextuality in fairytales and how binary oppositions position the audience to adopt certain values and beliefs. Students will create various elements of fairytales that challenge reader expectations and represent new ways of thinking about the world we live in. | |
Gothic Horror and Coraline by Neil Gaiman | EN4-RVL-01 uses a range of personal, creative and critical strategies to read texts that are complex in their ideas and construction EN4-URA-01 analyses how meaning is created through the use of and response to language forms, features and structures EN4-ECA-01 creates personal, creative and critical texts for a range of audiences by using linguistic and stylistic conventions of language to express ideas | LANGUAGE Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Examining literature Creating literature LITERACY Interacting with others Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Word knowledge | Reading Viewing Listening Responding Creating | Genre / Film Study |
| This unit of work provides students with the opportunity to explore the genre of horror. Students learn about the features of horror stories, including the gothic mode. Students develop an understanding of and skills in creating horror short stories for a teenage audience, including narrative elements such as characters, settings, themes and structure through analysis of Coraline by Neil Gaiman. They develop skills in adapting and transforming existing horror text into different forms for a variety of purposes and audiences. They read, listen to, view and speak about various horror stories and gothic graphic novels from different times and places, including multimedia horror texts. Students apply their knowledge and skills about these narrative elements by creating their own horror short story for a teenage audience that adapts existing horror stories into new contexts. |
Humour Writing | EN4-URA-01 analyses how meaning is created through the use of and response to language forms, features and structures EN4-ECA-01 creates personal, creative and critical texts for a range of audiences by using linguistic and stylistic conventions of language to express ideas EN4-URB-01 examines and explains how texts represent ideas, experiences and values
| LANGUAGE Language for interacting with others Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Literature and contexts Literature and contexts Examining literature Creating literature LITERACY Interacting with Interacting with others Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Creating texts Word knowledge | Reading Speaking Viewing Responding Creating | Genre |
| In this unit of work students will explore how visual and written humorous texts from different time periods and countries create individual and collective agency and bring about social change for the better. They will analyse and evaluate short stories, poetry, media and multi-media texts, cartoons, television shows and film extracts for their comic effects. Students will develop an understanding of how the audience and purpose of humorous texts affects meaning and how humorous texts make social commentary, represent diverse perspectives and empower people. Students will become familiar with types of humour and how humour is created in and through texts through visual and written techniques. Students will develop skill in listening and complete a listening task as an assessment as well as write a script for either an existing or new sitcom. |
Ethical issues and When the War Began by John Marsden | EN4-RVL-01 uses a range of personal, creative and critical strategies to read texts that are complex in their ideas and construction EN4-URB-01 examines and explains how texts represent ideas, experiences and values EN4-URC-01 identifies and explains ways of valuing texts and the connections between them | LANGUAGE Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Literature and contexts Examining literature Creating literature LITERACY Texts in contexts Interacting with others Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Word knowledge | Reading Speaking Responding Reflecting | Theme / Novel Study |
| In this unit students will explore ethical issues in Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden and other texts about war such as poetry, short stories, historical speeches and images. Students will assess the representation of ethical issues in texts and compare them to their own ethical values. They will critically analyse the language features and forms of various war texts and reflect personally on war texts. Students will examine the relationships between various war texts and explore the similarities and differences between ethical issues in various war texts. |
Close Encounters of the Strange Kind: Speculative Fiction | EN4-RVL-01 uses a range of personal, creative and critical strategies to read texts that are complex in their ideas and construction EN4-URA-01 analyses how meaning is created through the use of and response to language forms, features and structures EN4-ECA-01 creates personal, creative and critical texts for a range of audiences by using linguistic and stylistic conventions of language to express ideas | LANGUAGE Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Examining literature Creating literature LITERACY Texts in context Interacting with others Word knowledge | Reading Speaking Viewing Listening Responding Creating | Genre / Fiction Study |
| This unit of work provides students with the opportunity to explore the genres of speculative fiction (a hybrid genre of science fiction and fantasy). Students learn about the features of speculative fiction, including hybrid examples. Students develop an understanding of and skills in creating speculative fiction short stories and texts for a teenage audience, including narrative elements such as characters, settings, themes and structure through analysis of various genre-related visual and written stories. They read, listen to, view and speak about various speculative fiction stories from different times and places, including multimedia texts. This will include exploration of the first Indigenous speculative fiction anthology, This All Come Back Now: An anthology of First Nations speculative fiction by Mykaela Saunders. Students apply their knowledge and skills about these narrative elements by creating their own multi-media hybrid speculative fiction text. |
Year 9 | ||||||
Cultural Representations and Skate by Deb Oswald | EN5-ECA-01 crafts personal, creative and critical texts for a range of audiences by experimenting with and controlling language forms and features to shape meaning EN5-ECB-01 uses processes of planning, monitoring, revising and reflecting to purposefully develop and refine composition of texts EN5-RVL-01 uses a range of personal, creative and critical strategies to interpret complex texts | LANGUAGE Language for interacting with others Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Literature and contexts Creating literature LITERACY Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Word knowledge
| Reading Speaking Viewing Listening Creating
| Theme / Play Study |
| In this unit students will interpret and analyse the representations of teenage cultural groups in Debra Oswald’s Skate. They will explore how these cultural groups are represented through script narrative elements such as language, themes, plot and setting. Students will evaluate the reasons for these representations and offer alternative viewpoints and solutions to conflicts within cultural groups. Students will also reflect on their own processes of creating texts by themselves or within groups. Students will also create the script for a scene and set design for a story about teenagers that reflects their values and ideas and challenges common cultural assumptions about teenagers. |
Power and Privilege in Fairytale | EN5-RVL-01 uses a range of personal, creative and critical strategies to interpret complex texts EN5-URA-01 analyses how meaning is created through the use and interpretation of increasingly complex language forms, features and structures EN5-URC-01 investigates and explains ways of valuing texts and the relationships between them | LANGUAGE Language for interacting with others Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Examining literature Creating literature LITERACY Texts in context Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Creating texts Word knowledge | Reading Viewing Responding Creating Reflecting | Genre / Theme Study |
| In this unit of work students will explore how power and privilege have been represented within and through fairytale texts by analysing the fairytales genre. Students will also explore symbolism and motifs in fairytales and adapt archetypal characters. They will develop an understanding of the context of fairytales around the world by analysing the audience, purpose and history of fairytales and the context of Disney fairytales. Students will explore how fairytales continue to be told and retold and evaluate cultural perspectives in fairytales from diverse cultures. Analysis of how fairytales are reinvented in new contexts will also be explored so students can reinvent the fairytale genre in ways that reflect their own ideas about cultural perspectives. Students will develop skills in reflection through reflecting on their own processes of learning and creating as well as on texts. |
Marine Sustainability and Visual Literacy | EN5-URA-01 analyses how meaning is created through the use and interpretation of increasingly complex language forms, features and structures EN5-ECA-01 crafts personal, creative and critical texts for a range of audiences by experimenting with and controlling language forms and features to shape meaning EN5-ECB-01 uses processes of planning, monitoring, revising and reflecting to purposefully develop and refine composition of texts
| LANGUAGE Language for interacting with others Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Literature and contexts Examining literature Creating literature LITERACY Texts in contexts Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Creating texts Word knowledge | Reading Viewing Listening Responding Creating Reflecting Planning, monitoring and revising
| Theme /Language / Non-fiction Study | Colons, semi-colons, dot points | In this unit students will look at various texts about marine conservation and in particular marine debris, to develop an awareness of how they can contribute to conserving the marine environment. Students will analyse various media texts, such as posters and video advertisements in order to determine messages conveyed and how the responder is positioned to adopt certain ideas and take action. They will learn about the language forms and features of visual and written persuasive texts and create various persuasive texts due different purposes and audiences such as website homepages and posters. Students will learn how to create texts that borrow from other texts and use stimulus to create imaginative texts, such as Dreamtime stories and manga that convey possibilities in relation to marine conservation. |
Protest Poetry | EN5-RVL-01 uses a range of personal, creative and critical strategies to interpret complex texts EN5-URB-01 evaluates how texts represent ideas and experiences, and how they can affirm or challenge values and attitudes EN5-ECA-01 crafts personal, creative and critical texts for a range of audiences by experimenting with and controlling language forms and features to shape meaning
| LANGUAGE Language for interacting with others Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Literature and contexts Engaging with and responding to literature Examining literature Creating literature LITERACY Texts in context Interacting with others Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Creating texts Word knowledge | Reading Speaking Viewing Listening Responding Creating Reflecting
| Poetry / Songs Study |
| In this unit students will be looking at ideas about social issues and change and how to empower themselves to create protest texts that bring about ‘a better world’ to live in. The following social issues will be investigated and researched: what is social protest, the history of social protest, motivations for social protest, non-violent, group and individual forms of social protest and social protest as a form of agency. Student will be exploring a range of protest songs, lyrics and poetry by a variety of composers to critically analyse the use of language features, text forms and structures of protest texts. The unit is framed by the key question: What do we desire our future to look like? |
Voices of First Nations Peoples | EN5-URA-01 analyses how meaning is created through the use and interpretation of increasingly complex language forms, features and structures EN5-URC-01 investigates and explains ways of valuing texts and the relationships between them EN5-URB-01 evaluates how texts represent ideas and experiences, and how they can affirm or challenge values and attitudes | LANGUAGE Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Literature and contexts Engaging with and responding to literature Examining literature Creating literature LITERACY Texts in context Interacting with others Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Word knowledge | Reading Viewing Listening Responding Creating Reflecting | Language / Fiction / Non-fiction Study |
| This unit looks at fiction and non-fiction texts exploring First Nation peoples’ histories and culture that incorporate Indigenous knowledge, understanding and ways of being, doing, knowing and thinking. Students will explore how life looks from various Indigenous perspectives by considering non-fiction texts from Reconciliation Australia’s ‘Share our Pride’ resources. These include infographics and videos addressing topics including myths about Indigenous people, pre-1788 history, the Dreaming and connection to country, defining culture and the impact of intergenerational trauma. As a process of frontloading in preparation to read texts by First Nations’ people, this unit will also look at Indigenous languages, maps and geographic locations, and consider their historical and cultural contexts. Students will critically evaluate ideas, beliefs and values in various texts written by First Nations peoples including performance poets, Steven Oliver, Melanie Munungurr-Williams and Alice Eather, actor, writer and comedian, Nakkiah Lui, artist and former pro-surfer, Otis Hope Carey, artist, Thea Anamara Perkins, designer and artist, Rachael Sarra, singer-songwriter, Thelma Plum, activist and artist, Aretha Brown. This unit will also explore the following writing: Tell me why, by Archie Roach AM (2021), Ubby’s Underdogs: The Legend of the Phoenix Dragon by Brenton E. McKenna (2011), Us Mob Walawurru by David Spillman and Lisa Wilyuka (2006), Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe (2014) and Becoming Kirrali Lewis by Jane Harrison (2015). Students will create a piece of art or literature that reflects their perspectives on Indigenous knowledge, understanding and ways of being and thinking. |
Storytelling and Myths | EN4-RVL-01 uses a range of personal, creative and critical strategies to read texts that are complex in their ideas and construction EN4-URC-01 identifies and explains ways of valuing texts and the connections between them EN4-ECB-01 uses processes of planning, monitoring, revising and reflecting to support and develop composition of texts | LANGUAGE Language for interacting with others Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Literature and contexts Engaging with and responding to literature Examining literature Creating literature LITERACY Texts in contexts Interacting with others Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Creating texts Word knowledge | Reading Speaking Viewing Listening Responding Creating Reflecting | Theme / Film Study |
| In this unit students will explore the nature of storytelling and trace its development over time through analysis of various fiction and non-fiction texts. They will critically study the connection between mythology, storytelling and the landscape and reflect on how these aspects represent changing values and cultural practices and beliefs. They will also explore the connection between storytelling and mythology and Aboriginal language and culture. In particular, they will examine how the experimental form of a visual poem reflects mythology, storytelling and the connection between humans and the landscape. Students will study various visual and written experimental poetic forms. They will learn about the language forms and features of visual poems, including film language and construction, as well as creative processes for creating experimental poetry. They will also undertake a critical study of the expression of mythology, storytelling and landscape in the Tale from the Whale by Nine Spokes Productions, which is an exemplary example of an experimental visual poem. They will also reflect on their own creative processes for creating an experimental visual poem. Students will create a visual poem that represents a connection between the landscape and human experiences, focusing on the way they reflect mythology, storytelling and the landscape. |
Year 10 | ||||||
Romeo & Juliet and West Side Story (update with new movie) | EN5-RVL-01 uses a range of personal, creative and critical strategies to interpret complex texts EN5-URC-01 investigates and explains ways of valuing texts and the relationships between them EN5-URB-01 evaluates how texts represent ideas and experiences, and how they can affirm or challenge values and attitudes
| LANGUAGE Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Literature and contexts Engaging with and responding to literature Examining literature LITERACY Texts in context Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Word knowledge | Reading Viewing Listening Responding Creating | Comparative Study & Shakespeare |
| This unit focuses on a comparison of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and the film West Side Story directed by Steven Spielberg. Students will learn about the narrative elements of each text, including the plot, characters, setting, themes, language and stylistic features. Students will also learn to write about the relationships between texts from different time periods and develop an appreciation for the value in comparing texts in an academic sense. Students will write a comparative essay about the two key texts. |
Australian Stories | EN5-RVL-01 EN5-URA-01 analyses how meaning is created through the use and interpretation of increasingly complex language forms, features and structures EN5-URB-01 EN5-ECA-01 crafts personal, creative and critical texts for a range of audiences by experimenting with and controlling language forms and features to shape meaning
| LANGUAGE Language for interacting with others Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Literature and contexts Engaging with and responding to literature Examining literature Creating literature LITERACY Texts in context Interacting with others Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Creating texts Word knowledge | Reading Speaking Viewing Listening Responding Creating | Theme /Fiction / Non-fiction Study |
| This unit develops students’ understanding of identity, culture, and storytelling. Students will explore and create Australian stories through analysis and interpretation of perspectives and voice in creative and nonfiction texts such as prose poetry, narratives, documentaries, multi-media texts, and YouTube clips. Through studying multicultural, Aboriginal, and historical Australian stories, students will investigate questions like “What is identity?” and “How is culture constructed?” They will reflect on Australia’s identity and use these stories as inspiration to create their own, representing their perceptions of Australian culture and life. The unit emphasises developing skills in writing with voice, expressing perspectives, and understanding how perspectives are constructed in media. Students will learn to communicate effectively by listening carefully, speaking clearly, and debunking stereotypes. They will craft personal stories through journaling, reflection, and digital storyboards while exploring diverse Australian voices. The culminating tasks include creating YouTube clips that contribute to a 21st-century Australian voice and producing a documentary about an Australian story. These projects allow students to synthesise their learning, showcasing their understanding of storytelling and their unique contributions to Australia’s cultural narrative. |
Literary Merit in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee | EN5-URA-01 analyses how meaning is created through the use and interpretation of increasingly complex language forms, features and structures EN5-URC-01 investigates and explains ways of valuing texts and the relationships between them EN5-ECB-01 uses processes of planning, monitoring, revising and reflecting to purposefully develop and refine composition of texts | LANGUAGE Language for interacting with others Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Literature and contexts Engaging with and responding to literature Examining literature LITERACY Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Word knowledge | Reading Speaking Viewing Responding | Language / Novel Study |
| This unit of work looks at the meaning and significance of literature in our world today. Students will analyse narrative elements, such as plot, characters, themes, settings, narrative viewpoint and writing style in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee in order to determine the literary merit of the text. Students will consider ethical issues in the novel and evaluate ideas in the novel against their own values and attitudes. Students will compare ideas and techniques in the film and novel versions of the text. Students will learn about the nature of literary critiques, and develop skills in using the language and structural features of essay writing. Students will write an essay assessing the literary merit of the novel.
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Freedom Fighters and Transformative Language | EN5-URA-01 analyses how meaning is created through the use and interpretation of increasingly complex language forms, features and structures EN5-URB-01 evaluates how texts represent ideas and experiences, and how they can affirm or challenge values and attitudes EN5-URC-01 investigates and explains ways of valuing texts and the relationships between them
| LANGUAGE Language for interacting with others Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Literature and contexts Engaging with and responding to literature Examining literature Creating literature LITERACY Texts in context Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Creating texts Word knowledge | Reading Speaking Viewing Listening Responding Creating Reflecting | Language / Theme Study |
| The premise of this unit is framed around the notion of personal freedom and agency and how art, language and literature can reveal patterns of continuity and disruption. This unit looks at how language and systems of power are used to disempower, minimalise and dehumanise marginalised people in Australia and around the world. In doing so, the lessons and activities seek empower students to transform these power structures by giving agency to individual and communities to use language that frees, empowers, includes and respects others. It seeks to assist students to be discerning about the ways perspectives are framed and to actively challenge these perspectives through transformative language and ideas. Texts to be explored include prison writing, such as Berooz Boochani’s No Friend but the Mountain and Freedom, Only Freedom, Nelson Mandala’s Long Walk to Freedom, Nawal El Saadawi’s Memoirs from the Women’s Prison, Martin Luther King’s Letters from Birmingham Jail and Malcolm X’s Autobiography of Malcolm X. Other texts include essays and writings from advocates for refugees and other displaced peoples, such as Omid Tofighian, and other texts on human rights from the Australian Human Rights Commission. First Nations writing will also be explored, such as Kevin Gilbert’s play, The Cherry Pickers, Jack Davis’ No Sugar, Jane Harrison’s Stolen, and Tara June Winch’s The Yield, amongst others. Students will create texts of their own choosing that use transformative language to offer a different perspective on ways of knowing, being and living in the world. |
Ten-minute Play Writing | EN5-URA-01 analyses how meaning is created through the use and interpretation of increasingly complex language forms, features and structures EN5-ECA-01 crafts personal, creative and critical texts for a range of audiences by experimenting with and controlling language forms and features to shape meaning EN5-ECB-01 uses processes of planning, monitoring, revising and reflecting to purposefully develop and refine composition of texts | LANGUAGE Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Literature and contexts Engaging with and responding to literature Examining literature Creating literature LITERACY Texts in context Interacting with others Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Creating texts Word knowledge | Reading Speaking Viewing Listening Creating Reflecting Planning, monitoring and revising
| Genre / Language Study |
| In this unit students will explore short play scripts of different genres, including drama, historical drama and futuristic drama. They will learn about the language and structural devices used in short plays to communicate ideas, values and cultural beliefs. These include playwriting elements, such as writing dialogue, developing characters and setting, writing stage directions and writing scenes. Student will also explore ways of communicating ideas through language devices such as intertextuality, motif, dramatic irony, juxtaposition, descriptive language and writing style. Students will write their own ten-minute play and undertake the editing process and workshop their plays with other students, much like a dramaturge would. Students will also develop drama skills and perform either one or two scenes from their plays or their whole play. In the process of developing their play for performance, they will undertake the role of a director and write directorial notes for one or more scenes, outlining how the scenes or scenes could be performed. Students will also reflect on their own processes of learning. |
Narrative Journalism | EN5-URA-01 analyses how meaning is created through the use and interpretation of increasingly complex language forms, features and structures EN5-URB-01 evaluates how texts represent ideas and experiences, and how they can affirm or challenge values and attitudes EN5-ECA-01 crafts personal, creative and critical texts for a range of audiences by experimenting with and controlling language forms and features to shape meaning | LANGUAGE Language for interacting with others Text structure and organisation Language for expressing and developing ideas LITERATURE Literature and contexts Engaging with and responding to literature Examining literature Creating literature Texts in context Analysing, interpreting and evaluating Word knowledge | Reading Speaking Viewing Responding Creating Reflecting | Media Study |
| This unit introduces students to the principles and practices of narrative journalism, also known as literary journalism. This unit looks at the different types of feature articles (or discursive writing) available in print and online and explores a few of the popular topics relevant to Australian culture which features address. These different types of features include news features, informative features, personality sketches, personal experience stories, human interest feature stories, historical features, interpretative features and popularised scientific features. This unit divides features into eight genres in order to organise them into categories so as to explore their structural elements and the different approaches articles commonly take to their many and varied subjects. These genres include profiles, behind-the-news-stories, travel stories, memoir, essays, cultural commentary, investigative reporting and hybrid texts, such as marginalia. Students will explore the history or each genre as well as their language and structure features. The unit will also explore multi-media features of the genre, including different media used to deliver content, as well as narrative genres that appear in magazines and online media, for example, quizzes, horoscopes, advice columns and ‘listicles’ (writing or content in the form of a list). Students will create a short publication with at least one feature article and one narrative genre. |
If you would like more information, feel free to contact Shelley McNamara by email shelley@qwiller.com.au.