Stage 5 English Syllabus

In your studies of English it is important to realise that you are attempting to improve your skills in order to prepare for stage 6 studies. Your teachers will work through a variety of different activities in order to improve these skills.You can access the English 7-10 Syllabus for the Australian Syllabus here as a hypertext link.

What follows is a summary of the essence of this document:

 

Aim: The aim of English in Years K–10 is to enable students to understand and use language effectively, appreciate, reflect on and enjoy the English language and to make meaning in ways that are imaginative, creative, interpretive, critical and powerful.

 

Knowledge, Understanding and Skills:

  • By the end of stage 5 students should be able to respond to and compose a range of texts as outlined in the English Stage 5 Statement  - see hypertext link.

  • Students will learn to appreciate values and attitudes as outlined here.

  • A list of Stage 5 Outcomes can be found here for English, Science, History and Maths.

  • The Content Requirements for Stage 5 are linked here.

  • There is also a Glossary of Terms used in the syllabus. It is important to know these.

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Examination Stage 5

Whilst there is no formal external examination at the end of Stage 5 as there was prior to 2012, it is still important to keep in mind that the skills in Stage 5 translate well to the skills that will be needed in Stage 6 and consequently the HSC Examination. Your teachers will assess how you meet the outcomes of the syllabus and will award you with an appropriate grade A-E. This will be submitted to the BOSTES.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expository Writing

Just as there are many different ways of attacking Creative Writing, so too there are many ways of improving your analytical writing. Many Teachers use the TEEL acronym as a pnemonic for students to improve their essay structure. Personally I Prefer SIE (Statement/Illustration/Explanation) as it is less prescriptive in the middle part of the paragraph. Similarly I have heard other teachers use the image of a SANDWICH as it has two pieces of bread with fillers. Again this is non-prescriptive.

 

Structure

One way or another you need a sentence outlining what the paragraph will be about. The middle will illustrate or provide evidence to support the statement. It may use direct quotes or discuss the techniques used relating to and/or supporting the opening sentence. Finally the final sentence will explain how the paragraph is relevant to the overall thesis or argument.

 

Attached here is a powerpoint document with some essential skills for improviding your creative writing skills. There are many different ways of attacking such a task. Here are my 10 Ways to Improve Creative Writing with examples from famous authors and their works.

Spelling and Grammar

Your teachers will work through a language program with you as part of their satisfaction of the outcomes for the course. The following connection can help to supplement your understanding if this is an area you feel you need to strengthen.