Year 7 English

Course Outline 2023

Overview

In Year 7, Perth Modern students engage in developing a love of reading by studying a variety of different genres – in relation to both
form and content.

They engage with the big questions: ‘why and how do humans tell stories?’ as they navigate their Year 7 English studies.

They are encouraged to make connections between themselves, their world, and the texts they read, view and create.

Timing Teaching Content Syllabus Content Assessment

Weeks 1-4  Introduction to the English learning  Consolidate a personal handwriting style TASK 1: Letter writing
Term 1 area - How can we learn more that is legible, fluent and automatic and (Diagnostic, non-
effectively? What are the different ways supports writing for extended periods assessed)
of maximizing our learning in this (ACELY1727) Students will write a
 Use comprehension strategies to interpret,
subject? letter to their teachers in
analyse and synthesise ideas and
 Introduce Thinking Routines information, critiquing ideas and issues which they may be
o See/Think/Wonder to analyse from a variety of textual sources asked to share some
text extracts and write well- (ACELY1723) details about themselves
structured paragraph responses.  Understand that the coherence of more and their thoughts
o What makes you say that? complex texts relies on devices that signal towards the English LA
Justification for the conclusions text structure and guide readers, for (subject matter of the
you reach. example overviews, initial and concluding letters up to teacher
 Reading extracts and short stories for paragraphs and topic sentences, indexes or discretion). In-class,
site maps or breadcrumb trails for online Week 1.
language features and narrative
texts (ACELA1763)
conventions: characterisation,  Analyse and explain the ways text
description of setting, point of view etc. structures and language features shape
 Establish prior knowledge of ‘genre’ meaning and vary according to audience
and ‘Fantasy.’ Introduction to genres of and purpose (ACELY1721)
fiction and investigation into fantasy  Use prior knowledge and text processing
genre through novel study (and strategies to interpret a range of types of
possibly supplementary extracts). texts (ACELY1722)
 Writing practice – planning and  Reflect on ideas and opinions about
crafting, paragraph structure. characters, settings and events in literary
 texts, identifying areas of agreement and
difference with others and justifying a point
of view (ACELT1620)

Weeks 1-7  Researching the origins of Fantasy to  Recognise and analyse the ways that TASK 2: Short story
Term 1 understand the archetypes of the genre characterisation, events and settings are composing -
and its subgenres. combined in narratives, and discuss the Composing fantasy short
 Reading fantasy novels as a class and purposes and appeal of different stories with a focus on
approaches (ACELT1622)
tracing patterns, connections, ideas, applying archetypal
 Analyse and explain the ways text
themes, character, and settings from structures and language features shape settings, characters,
their prior knowledge/wider reading; meaning and vary according to audience themes, ideas, sub-
identifying sub-genres – linking this to and purpose (ACELY1721) genres in Fantasy –
ideas about the real world such as  Discuss aspects of texts, for example their drawing on their study of
community/society/outsiders/escapism. aesthetic and social value, using relevant other fantasy texts –
 Connecting ideas and thoughts across and appropriate stepping out to the
texts and collaborating to make metalanguage (ACELT1803) broader ideological
meaning– speaking our thoughts in  Create literary texts that adapt stylistic functions of fantasy.
small-group discussions. features encountered in other texts, for Take-home, due Week
example, narrative viewpoint, structure of
Weeks 7-  Writing activities as a 7 (Weighting: 20%)
stanzas, contrast and
10, 1-2 class/prompts/discussions about ways juxtaposition (ACELT1625)
Terms 1-2 into writing.  Plan, draft and publish imaginative, TASK 3: Diorama
 Listen to fantasy writers discuss their informative and persuasive texts, selecting production - Students
thought processes. aspects of subject matter and particular create a physical
 Pastiche the writing of one of the short language, visual, and audio features to diorama or a digital
stories/extracts studied as an activity convey information and ideas (ACELY1725) construction of a short
to focus on sentence structures/use of story/fairy tale stage
language for effect. adaptation. Take-home,
 How to punctuate dialogue. due Term 2 Week 2
 Adopt the narrative conventions you (Weighting: 10%
have learned about from the fantasy
short stories you have read and create
your own fantasy short story.
 Decide which sub-genre your story will
fall into – will it be magical realism,
high fantasy, sword and sorcery?
 Consider allegory and metaphor in
writing.
 Consider structural elements and
language features.
Weeks 2-6 Focus questions:  Understand the use of punctuation to Task 4: Short answer
Term 2 1) Characters – How do Fantasy support meaning in complex sentences with response - Students
characters function as representations prepositional phrases and embedded will produce an
of groups in society? Trace their origins clauses (ACELA1532) analytical short answer
 Recognise and understand that subordinate
– what patterns/connections can you response to a studied
clauses embedded within noun
make between characters in the novel groups/phrases are a common feature of fantasy text (novel or
you studied and those we have looked written sentence structures and increase supplementary short
at in class? the density of information (ACELA1534) story). In-class with
2) Settings - How do Fantasy settings  Understand how to use spelling rules and take-home prep
function as obstacles in word origins, for example Greek and Latin component, Week 6
themselves/reflections of the roots, base words, suffixes, prefixes, (Weighting: 20%)
characters? Trace their origins – what spelling patterns and generalisations to
patterns/connections can you make learn new words and how to spell
between the setting/s in the novel you them (ACELA1539)
studied and those we have looked at in  Understand how language is used to
evaluate texts and how evaluations about a
class? How can these settings/spaces text can be substantiated by reference to
be understood in a metaphorical sense? the text and other sources (ACELA1782)
3) Themes and ideas – Trace patterns in  Identify and explore ideas and viewpoints
the issues/understandings that fantasy about events, issues and characters
offers us. Consider dichotomies (good represented in texts drawn from different
and evil, chaos and order) historical, social and cultural contexts
4) Sub-genres - How can we think about (ACELT1619)
Fantasy as being split up into separate
genres that are distinct/have their own
set of conventions/expectations? – e.g.,
High fantasy, magical realism etc.

Semester 2

Term 2  Investigation of poetry with the Reader  Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, TASK 5: Group
Weeks 7-10 as a primary reference point (students selecting and sequencing appropriate Presentation – Group
Term 3 may study poems beyond the reader at content and multimodal elements to analytical presentation
Weeks 1-3 teacher discretion) – identifying poetic promote a point of view or enable a new in response to texts from
way of seeing (ACELY1720)
devices, learning about context. the Poetry reader.
 Use interaction skills when discussing and
 Research the context of poets and presenting ideas and information, selecting Students will be
apply this to the analysis of the text body language, voice qualities and other expected to closely
and to better understand the concept elements, (for example music and sound) to analyse and interpret
of perspective. add interest and meaning (ACELY1804) their poem, and to
 Consider, discuss and apply knowledge  Identify and explore ideas and viewpoints produce a PowerPoint to
of Voice construction in poetry about events, issues and characters accompany their
  Justify choices made in selection of represented in texts drawn from different presentation.
poetry, including an awareness of historical, social and cultural contexts In-class, Term 3 Week
historical and authorial context (ACELT1619) 3 (Weighting: 15%)
 Investigate vocabulary typical of extended
and more academic texts and the role of
Term 3
 Student-choice based production of abstract nouns, classification, description
Weeks 4-7 and generalisation in building specialised
poems (of a form determined by them) TASK 6: Multimodal
and accompanying multimodal texts (in knowledge through language (ACELA1537)
 Identify and discuss main ideas, concepts poetic production –
a form of their choice) which offers a Students will compose
and points of view in spoken texts to
visual representation of their own evaluate qualities, for example the strength their own poems and will
poetry - I.e., picture book, comic book, of an argument or the lyrical power of a produce an
short film, etc. This will involve a poetic rendition (ACELY1719) accompanying visual
process of research, brainstorming,  Edit for meaning by removing repetition, adaptation of their poem
planning, drafting, and production, as refining ideas, reordering sentences and (picture book, comic
well as wider reading. adding or substituting words for impact
book, short film, etc).
(ACELY1726)
 Experiment with text structures and
Take-home, due Week
language features and their effects in 7 (Weighting: 15%)
creating literary texts, for example, using
rhythm, sound effects, monologue, layout,
navigation and colour (ACELT1805)
 Understand that the coherence of more
complex texts relies on devices that signal
text structure and guide readers, for
example overviews, initial and concluding
paragraphs and topic sentences, indexes or
site maps or breadcrumb trails for online
texts (ACELA1763)
Term 3  Explore the history of the Gothic genre,  Compare the text structures and language TASK 7: Essay - Essay
Weeks 8-10 its central themes and stylistic aspects features of multimodal texts, explaining response to a studied
Term 4  Analysis of a Gothic film, still images, how they combine to influence Gothic film (suggested
Weeks 1-4 film posters, and other visual texts audiences (ACELY1724) texts: Coraline, The
 Understand, interpret and discuss how
 Introduction to film analysis – film as a Corpse Bride).
language is compressed to produce a
genre, subgenres of film dramatic effect in film or drama, and to In-class with take-
create layers of meaning in poetry, for home component,
example haiku, tankas, couplets, free verse Due Term 4, Week 3
and verse novels (ACELT1623) (Weighting: 20%)
 Analyse how point of view is generated in
visual texts by means of choices, for
example gaze, angle and social
distance (ACELA1764)
Term 4  Study of a documentary to identify  Understand the way language evolves to TASK 8: Documentary
Weeks 4-9 conventions, subject matter, ideas and reflect a changing world, particularly in (non-assessed) – In
perspective on social justice response to the use of new technology for small groups, students
issues/links to environmental/justice presenting texts and will plan, storyboard,
issues. communicating (ACELA1528) film and edit 3-4 minute
 Use a range of software, including word
 Creation of the students’ own long documentaries for
processing programs, to confidently create,
documentaries informed by the edit and publish written and multimodal the Moscars ceremony.
conventions analysed in their studied texts (ACELY1728) Due Week 8 for Week
films. 9 Moscars ceremony.