English
The learning outcomes of the English key learning area contribute significantly to lifelong learning. Our aim is to help students achieve these outcomes through extended engagement with texts and language, and by developing a variety of literacy practices over their compulsory schooling.
In English, students as lifelong learners:
- develop knowledge and show deep understanding of the relationships between discourse, (knowledge, values and practices associated with groups), cultural contexts (genre and text types), social situations (subject matter, roles and relationships, mode and medium) and choices of textual resources when interpreting and constructing texts.
- think in complex ways to make connections among texts, analyse representations and patterns of use of resources, make inferences, synthesise information, consider the consequences of choices, and generate new possibilities for texts.
- create and respond imaginatively to texts by playing with structures, exploring the aesthetic uses of language, innovatively using technology, and exploring the effects of choices of textual resources.
- actively investigate texts, making judgements about and challenging textual representations, drawing on analysis of patterns of use of resources to support hypotheses and to form generalisations.
- effectively communicate, using language clearly and accurately to achieve purposes and convey meanings of interest to different audiences, in a range of text types, in different modes and mediums.
- participate confidently and constructively in interactions with others to meet individual and group needs, collaborating on tasks, taking responsibility for actions, defending decisions and negotiating conflicts.
- reflect on their learnings about texts and language, considering the depth of their knowledge and the repertoire of practices they use to interpret and construct texts, and use these as a self-directed learner in new contexts.
Outcomes
Outcomes in English are organised into three strands and three sub-strands. They operate simultaneously and are interrelated and integrated.
The three strands are:
| Cultural: | making meaning in contexts |
| Operational: | using the language system |
| Critical: | evaluating and reconstructing meanings in texts |
The three sub-strands are:
- Speaking and Listening
- Reading and Viewing
- Writing and Shaping
In each unit students will
- SPEAK in small group and whole class discussions on a variety of issues
- LISTEN to other people speak and present (peers, teacher, guest speaker, audio/visual items)
- READ a variety of texts (both literary and non-literary)
- VIEW relevant programmes (television programmes, documentaries, films)
- WRITE a variety of responses in a variety of text types (both literary and non-literary)
- SHAPE responses using appropriate mediums (e.g. word processing, layout in poster or pamphlet)
