About this Course
The Year 10 English course has been updated in line with the new VCE English and Literature Study designs. The Vic Curriculum standards for Year 10 are aligned with the knowledge and skills developed in the senior levels.
By the end of Level 10, students evaluate how text structures can be used in innovative ways by different authors. They explain how the choice of language features, images and vocabulary contributes to the development of individual style. They develop and justify their own interpretations of texts. They evaluate other interpretations, analysing the evidence used to support them.
Students engage in the modes of Reading and Viewing, Writing, and Speaking and Listening.
Teachers scaffold close analytical skills and deconstruct parts of texts at the micro and macro levels, considering how a text is crafted and the effect of literary, grammatical structures and conventions of is form. Learners cultivate imagination and take creative risks to emulate the style of good writers and expand on these to develop confident voices.
Term 1
At the Officer campus students explore the theme of Australian identity through various forms of texts and voices. These include film, cartoons, and narratives of migrant stories and first nations voices. They respond critically and analytically to examine the ways in which our country’s identity is forever evolving and adapting.
At the Berwick campus students read and analyse the classic dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. The skills of close analysis and critical reading is scaffolded to build upon expository writing. Students complete journal entries to develop text to self-connections and deep dive into themes of censorship, the human condition, happiness, knowledge, and power.
Term 2
Officer: Students study the memoir The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do and examine the conventions of the memoir genre and analyse how the various elements create meaning The text study opens a window into migrant and refugee narratives, offers a deepening of understanding of the experiences of minorities and harnesses empathy. Students demonstrate their knowledge and skills in an analytical essay.
Berwick: Students explore gender representation in a literature unit and apply a feminist lens to various mentor texts including film, picture story books, Disney fairy tales and short stories. Students interrogate gender norms, stereotypes and unpack the ideas, views and values endorsed and/or critiqued. Students respond by crafting close analysis of language and literary devices and how these cumulatively function to cultivate meaning. Furthermore, students evaluate their own ideas and understandings of these concepts and develop deeper understandings of their own worlds.
Term 3
Officer: In term three students study the graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman. Students examine the conventions of the genre and how words and visuals convey powerful messages about lived experiences of war and conflict. Students visit the Holocaust Museum as part of their study of the text and its context.
Berwick: Students engage in a dramatic reading of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and deep dive into dramatic and literary features, context of the play and apply a feminist lens to explore the journey of the protagonists in examining the core themes of corruption, power, ambition, and loyalty. Students demonstrate their knowledge of the text and develop their analytical skills in a text response essay. As part of the exploration of Shakespeare students view a performance of the tragedy by Complete Work Theatre company. This is an interactive and highly engaging experience and one that has become a highlight for year 10 students.
Term 4- Argument Analysis Unit
In the final term of the year students examine argument types and persuasive rhetoric in various media texts. These include written and digital resources in diverse media sources and multimedia texts such as TED talks. Students explore current issues such as climate change, facial recognition technology and change the date of Australia Day. Students respond analytically and orally to present their own point of view and develop their confident arguments and voices.
