English Units 1/2 Tutoring online or
on campus

Matrix Term 2

Jan - Mar

Creating Texts: Purpose, Audience, Technique

Lesson 1: Raw Material

Lesson 2: Writing to Inform: Documentary

Lesson 3: Writing to Inform: Crafting Workshop

Lesson 4: Imaginative Writing: Short Stories

Lesson 5: Imaginative Writing: Crafting Workshop

Lesson 6: Writing to Persuade: Campaign Literature

Lesson 7: Writing to Persuade: Crafting Workshop

Lesson 8: Effective and Reflective Writing

Lesson 9: Topic Test

Matrix Term 3

Apr - Jun

Reading and Exploring Texts: Wuthering Heights

Lesson 1: Introducing the Novel

Lesson 2: Emily Brontë

Lesson 3: The Gothic

Lesson 4: The Romantic

Lesson 5: Human Nature

Lesson 6: Revenge

Lesson 7: Ghosts

Lesson 8: Unquiet Slumbers: Interpretations and Adaptations

Lesson 9: Topic Test

Matrix Term 4

Jul - Sep

Exploring Argument: Rise of Killer Robots?

Lesson 1: A.I

Lesson 2: Legacy Media

Lesson 3: New Media

Lesson 4: Utopia/Dystopia

Lesson 5: How to Win Any Argument

Lesson 6: Crafting the Perfect Speech

Lesson 7: Prose and Prosodics

Lesson 8: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Lesson 9: Exam Writing Task Submission and Feedback

Module 2

Creating Texts: Purpose, Audience, Technique

Lesson 1 Raw Material

• Introduce the course and connect its objectives and activities to Unit 1 of VCE English (Year 11)
• Discuss the guiding principles for improving creative writing skills and consider the purpose and language strategies of informative, imaginative, and persuasive texts
• Use George Orwell’s “Why I Write” as an example of a “Mentor Text” (a model of effective writing)
• Craft an original text based on a significant moment in one’s life, with attention to purpose, target audience, and figurative language

Lesson 2 Writing to Inform: Documentary

• Explore the documentary form as an example of an “informative text”
• Consider how techniques such as tone and music in podcasts and documentaries contribute to an audience’s understanding of and engagement with various subject matter
• Consider the affordances and constraints of audio and audiovisual documentaries
• Use David Attenborough’s Seven Worlds, One Planet as an example of a “Mentor Text” that sustains audience interest through a range of audiovisual techniques

Lesson 3 Writing to Inform: Crafting Workshop

• Plan, develop, and refine a documentary script 
• Consider ways to strengthen one’s “voice” in a documentary to establish a connection with one’s audience
• Learn about and practise writing a “hook” to engage an audience’s attention immediately

Lesson 4 Imaginative Writing: Short Stories

• Discuss the fundamentals of writing creatively, with reference to flash fiction by Ernest Hemingway, A .S. Byatt, and more
• Learn to write creatively from different stimuli, such as a dream or piece of music
• Study Tracey Ellis’s short story, “Natural Wonder,” as an example of a “Mentor Text”
• Reflect on Ellis’s “Natural Wonder” in its use of evocative language and as a character-driven narrative

Lesson 5 Imaginative Writing: Crafting Workshop

• Revise the core elements of the short story and focus on the development of character as a means of “showing” rather than “telling” 
• Clarify the meaning of “tone” and compare the different tonal qualities of Gabriel García Márquez’s “The Autumn of the Patriarch” and Margaret Atwood’s “There Was Once”
• Draft a short story, taking into account character, setting, plot, tone, and audience  

Lesson 6 Writing to Persuade: Campaign Literature

• Revise the features of a persuasive text and use the political controversy of the Australian republic referendum as a “Mentor Text”
• Learn about the three pillars of persuasive writing – logos, pathos, and ethos – and consider how writers deploy strategies for each in their texts 
• Craft an original leaflet that revives the question of Australia’s republic referendum following the ascension of King Charles III to the throne of England in 2022

Lesson 7 Writing to Persuade: Crafting Workshop

• Learn about strategies to build rapport with one’s audience
• Study Chadwick Boseman’s Commencement Address for examples of how his use of direct address and anecdotes establish rapport with his audience
• Craft a persuasive campaign leaflet on whether Australia should become a republic

Lesson 8 Effective and Reflective Writing

• Review the VCE English Study Design and connect activities in the course to its objectives and outcomes
• Discuss the content of the Topic Test and consider effective test-taking strategies
• Read case studies in which students reflect on the effectiveness of their creative writing
• Craft a detailed and effective reflective statement on one’s own creative writing

Lesson 9 Topic Test

Module 3

Reading and Exploring Texts: Wuthering Heights

Lesson 1 Introducing the Novel

• Introduce the course and connect its objectives and activities to Unit 2 of VCE English (Year 11)
• Introduce “inferential reading” as a core strategy learnt in the course 
• Introduce Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights as the central text of the course and discuss its plot, structure, and characters
• Read and analyse extracts from Wuthering Heights and discuss scholarly criticism of this novel

Lesson 2 Emily Brontë

• Consider Brontë’s biography and how her personal context may have influenced her writing
• Continue with an in-depth analysis of Wuthering Heights, with a focus on analysing key chapters and characters

Lesson 3 The Gothic

• Introduce the context and conventions of the Gothic tradition
• Draw connections between the Gothic tradition and Wuthering Heights
• Focus on Brontë’s use of figurative language to enhance atmospherics and portray Gothic themes

Lesson 4 The Romantic

• Introduce the aesthetic and moral concerns of the Romantic movement and consider its influences on Brontë’s writings, including Wuthering Heights and “Faith and Despondency”
• Continue with an in-depth analysis of Wuthering Heights, with a focus on connecting Catherine and Heathcliff’s love story to Romantic concerns

Lesson 5 Human Nature

• Continue learning about Romanticism and its major concerns, such as the tension between Nature and Nurture
• Listen to secondary criticism on Wuthering Heights on nature as both a “role” and shaping influence on characters in the novel
• Continue with an in-depth analysis of Wuthering Heights, with a focus on the themes of revenge and family struggles

Lesson 6 Revenge

• Focus on connecting core aspects of the VCE English Study Design (tensions and ideas in a text; the historical and cultural values of a text) to the study of Wuthering Heights
• Learn about the morals and morality of the Victorian era and apply this knowledge to the analysis of Wuthering Heights

Lesson 7 Ghosts

• Continue learning about features of the Gothic tradition, including the presence of supernatural phenomena
• Discuss aspects of the supernatural in Wuthering Heights and consider their relevance to Brontë’s cultural and social context
• Review the structure and language of analytical writing, with a specific focus on essays
• Apply our understanding of analytical writing to the construction of an introduction on Wuthering Heights

Lesson 8 Unquiet Slumbers: Interpretations and Adaptations

• Discuss the legacy of Wuthering Heights and recent adaptations of the novel: Why does Wuthering Heights continue to resonate with varied audiences?
• Prepare for the Topic Test in Lesson 9 by reviewing ideas and vocabulary in Wuthering Heights, as well as its historical context and the influence of aesthetic movements on its themes
• Revise the structure of an essay and practise drafting a full response 

Lesson 9 Topic Test

Module 4

Exploring Argument: Rise of Killer Robots?

Lesson 1 A.I.

• Connect the theme of the course, “Exploring Argument,” to the aims and objectives of Unit 2 of VCE English (Year 11) 
• Concentrate on developing persuasive writing and speaking skills, with a focus on oral argument, presentation, and debating
• Introduce the topic of A.I. as the core theme of the course 
• Watch audiovisual content on the role and influence of A.I. on modern life to consider its merits and demerits

Lesson 2 Legacy Media

• Consider the history of journalism and “traditional” news media
• Discuss assumptions and misassumptions about the “news,” including its communication of “truth”
• Discuss persuasive techniques used in news stories
• Discuss biases when writing news stories about A.I. and large language models

Lesson 3 New Media

• Learn about and discuss the rise of new media for the communication and democratisation of information 
• Watch audiovisual content on conflicting perspectives about the influence of digital technology in everyday life
• Engage in an in-depth analysis of Chris Reed’s “How AI can make us better at arguing,” with particular focus on persuasive techniques including jargon and framing

Lesson 4 Utopia/Dystopia

• Learn about the history of “utopias” and “dystopias” in literature, and apply one’s understanding of these to the course’s focus on AI
• Consider the moral and thematic concerns of the science fiction genre and how these connect with contemporary discussions about AI
• Draft a critically-informed response to Stephen Marche’s “The apocalypse isn’t coming. We must resist cynicism and fear about AI”

Lesson 5 How to Win Any Argument

• Learn how to craft a winning argument, with a particular focus on debating
• Prepare to engage in an in-class debate by considering one’s objective, audience, and use of persuasive and informative language

Lesson 6 Crafting the Perfect Speech

• Engage in a rhetorical debate on whether humanity should fear artificial intelligence
• Reflect on one’s performance in the debate and receive detailed and constructive feedback from the teacher
• Learn how to craft a winning speech by focusing on the five areas of Inventio, Dispositio, Elocutio, Memoria, and Pronuntiatio as outlined by influential orator Marcus Tullius Cicero
• Apply the three pillars of persuasion (logos, pathos, and ethos) to the construction of a winning speech

Lesson 7 Prose and Prosodics

• Return to the VCE Unit 2 Area of Study Design and connect outcomes and activities of the course to its key aspects
• Draft a speech in response to a complex question on artificial intelligence

Lesson 8 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 

• Receive teacher feedback on one’s draft presentation script 
• Consider the representation of androids and cyborgs in classic science fiction texts, including Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
• Discuss moral and social issues relating to giving robots human rights, and compose a short speech in favour of or opposition to this cause

Lesson 9 Topic Test