Stage 4 (Years 7 & 8) and Stage 5 (Years 9 & 10)
Our English program for Years 7 to 10 offers students opportunities to challenge themselves with a rich variety of texts across multiple modes. We endeavour to instil in our students a love of learning, to foster in them skills of active, independent learning and to create strong foundations of collaboration.
Our students will respond to a range of texts; we ensure students are familiar with the rich offerings of both contemporary and traditional texts. They will study novels, plays, poetry, short stories, films, songs and graphic novels. We aim to inspire students with the vast array of compositions, focusing on those texts that are artful in their expression and challenging in their ideas. Through their detailed study of texts, students are prompted to go beyond understanding the ‘what’ of the stories they encounter, they are propelled into critical thinking with exploration of ‘how’ and ‘why’. Our English students are problem solvers, critical thinkers and creative writers.
While the world of literature is certainly expansive, we hope to add a few more budding young composers into the landscape. Our students are regularly given opportunities to develop their own composition skills across a range of forms. Whether they be young essayists, poets, novelists or film makers, our students are able to explore their interests and talents throughout each school year.
Stage 6 (Years 11 &12)
Our college offers a full range of English courses, setting students up for success across English Studies, English Standard, English Advanced, English Extension I and English Extension II.
Our Year 11 English courses create the bridge between Year 10 and the rigours of the HSC. We provide students with texts that reshape their perception of the world around them and challenge them to find their own voices in a variety of compositions. We cover the classics such as Shakespeare’s Othello, as well as more contemporary films including, Searching. Regardless of the era from which these texts were produced or the course to which they are attached, we select texts that push the boundaries of their form and reflect unique artistry in their expression. We endeavour to create a strong foundation of conceptual understanding, analysis, evaluation and above all else, the drive to question and create.
Across both Year 11 and 12, students explore a myriad of complex and captivating texts for the purpose of inspiring them to create their own. They experiment with style, form and concept to craft increasingly nuanced imaginative pieces.
We offer five HSC courses to allow students to select the pathway that best suits their own learning goals:
- English Extension II
- English Extension I
- English Advanced
- English Standard
- English Studies
English Extension ll
This course allows students to explore their love literature across any form, be it poetry, spoken word, film making or prose. It provides the unique opportunity to craft and refine a major work over the course of a year – a true passion project! This is a one-unit course that is available for students who have undertaken Extension I and Advanced English courses.
English Extension I
This course involves the study of a variety of highly complex texts in an environment akin to university tutorials – teachers become mentors and collaborators and students become experts in their own right. They study a common module focussed on ‘Literary Worlds’, before delving into their Elective study of a ‘World of Upheaval’, analysing iconic texts that reflect our changing world and values.
English Advanced
This is a two-unit course for those students who have a love of literature. We study texts steeped in historical significance as well as newer texts that subvert contemporary expectations and challenge students to consider their own perspective on literature. Students will complete a Common Module as well as a series of Advanced-specific modules. Students will complete a Common Module as well as a series of Standard-specific modules.
English Standard
This is a two-unit course for students intending to undertake tertiary education. We study texts that allow students to refine their analytical and writing skills, setting them up effectively for education beyond high school.
English Studies
This two-unit course is a practical English course that provides students with skills for life and the workplace. Students are supported in their writing and communication skills to equip them with the confidence and skills for life beyond school.