The English curriculum is built around the three interrelated strands of Language, Literature and Literacy. At Earnshaw State College, the program balances and integrates all three strands. Together the strands focus on developing students' knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating. Learning in English builds on concepts, skills and processes developed in earlier years, and teachers will revisit and strengthen these as needed.
In Years 7 and 8, students interact with peers, teachers, individuals, groups and community members in a range of face to-face and online/virtual environments. They experience learning in both familiar and unfamiliar contexts that relate to the school curriculum, local community, regional and global contexts.
In Year 9, students learn to write narratives with sizzling starts, interesting complications and exciting climaxes. They will also examine how issues can emerge from the news media and novels and how ethical issues emerge from dramatic texts. The Year 10 program is aimed at preparing students for senior English and as such mirrors Year 11 assessment tasks.
How are the students assessed?
Assessment is conducted through a variety of methods including:
- Persuasive essay or speech
- Analytical essay
- Analysis of a literary text
- Imaginative short stories
- Imaginative journal entries
- Poetry and song analysis: analytical essay