Year 8 English tuition in Sydney and online

Holiday

April

Creation Myths around the World

Overview

Students will analyse creation myths from around the world that capture how people and stories are interconnected and express the values and beliefs of cultures. Students will understand how creation myths use imagery and figurative language, to create meaning. Students will develop knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures, and Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia.

Course breakdown

Day 1: Introduction to Creation Myths Around the World

Day 2: Representation in Myths & Creation Myths from Japan

Day 3: Narrative & World-Building in Creation Myths

Day 4: Themes in Creation Myths, Australian Myths & Reflection

What students will gain:

• Literary skills by understanding narrative structure, symbolism, themes and analytical reading to develop deeper meaning
• Strong writing skills through creative storytelling, descriptive language and essay writing
• Critical thinking skills through culture comparison and philosophical exploration of creation beliefs and their impact on societies
• Cultural awareness by developing global perspectives and a respect for traditions in approaching narratives with sensitivity
• Collaboration and communication skills by engaging in group discussions and debates about interpretations

Holiday

July

Agatha Christie's The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Overview
This course introduces Year 8 students to the captivating world of mystery fiction through Agatha Christie’s classic The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Students will explore the unique elements of the mystery and detective fiction genres, analysing how narrative techniques, character archetypes, and literary conventions create suspense and engage readers. By studying Christie’s storytelling, students will deepen their appreciation of literature, and develop skills transferable to interpreting written and audiovisual texts across genres.

Course Breakdown
Day 1: Introduction to Mystery Fiction and Agatha Christie
Day 2: Character Archetypes and Narrative Techniques in The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Day 3: Unraveling Suspense and Plot Structure in Mystery Fiction
Day 4: Themes in Mystery Fiction, Genre Patterns, and Reflection

What Students Will Gain:

• Literary Skills: An understanding of narrative structure, symbolism, and character development, enabling students to critically analyze the conventions of mystery fiction.
• Writing Skills: Enhanced through creating mystery-inspired stories, utilising descriptive language and structuring suspenseful narratives.
• Critical Thinking Skills: Developed through the analysis of genre conventions, plot twists, and character motivations, helping students explore how mystery fiction shapes meaning and engages readers.
• Cultural Awareness: By examining how mystery fiction reflects cultural values and societal concerns, students will gain insights into different representations in literature.
• Collaboration and Communication Skills: Fostered through group discussions and debates on plot interpretations, character analysis, and genre evolution.

Module 2

Intertextuality and Literary Value

Lesson 1: Introduction to Thor

• The historical origins of the mythic character, Thor, and portrayals of the character in the original text.
• Analyse narrative language features and techniques; identify and explain characterisation.

Lesson 2: Thor Goes to Hollywood

• The modern film adaptation of Thor and the shift in his characterisation.
• Analyse literary and film techniques such as hyperbole and sound; discuss the significance of context in changing character portrayals.

Lesson 3: And She Becomes Thor

• The modern comic book adaptation of Thor and the shift in his characterisation.
• Analyse visual techniques and discuss the significance of context in changing character portrayals.

Lesson 4: Writing a Long Response

• Incorporating literary, film, and visual techniques as evidence; analytical paragraph structure and composition.
• Form a response to an essay question, analyse the ways technique builds meaning; compose an essay paragraph.

Lesson 5: Introduction to Vampires

• The importance of cultural and historical contexts in shaping meaning; simile and first person.
• Analyse key scenes from Dracula, discuss meaning, and explain the influence of context on form and content.

Lesson 6: Dracula Hits the Big Time!

• Values in 1950s England; film techniques including symbolism, close-ups, and non-diegetic sound.
• Analyse key scenes and techniques in the film adaptation of Dracula; discuss meaning and explain the relationship between cultural values and textual meaning.

Lesson 7: The Modern Vampire

• Modern film adaptations with vampire characters; the shift in characterisation of vampires.
• Analyse cinematic techniques such as mood and sound; explain the relationship between cultural values and textual meanings and discuss the significance of context in changing portrayals.

Lesson 8: Writing a Long Response

• Processes and the importance of drafting, editing, and revising an analytical body paragraph.
• Develop and maintain a critical argument and incorporate dramatic techniques and textual detail into long responses.

Lesson 9: Topic Test

Module 3

Representation

Lesson 1: Introduction to Perspective and Representation

• Representation and context within English studies through Sara Mansour’s My Australia.
• Identify context and target audience, and analyse poetry that represents an Australian experience.

Lesson 2: Representing Personal Experience

• Personal context and its influence on text, genre, and memoir through Robin Ha’s An Almost American Girl.
• Draw connections between personal context and representation, analyse language and voice, and identify genre through techniques.

Lesson 3: Context, Perspective, and Representation

• Social, cultural, and historical context and how they influence textual representation, graphic novels, and form.
• Discuss and speculate on the impacts of context on representation; analyse the content of a text for context and techniques.

Lesson 4: Representing History

• Social and historical context, framing and composition, and PEEL paragraph strategies and skills
• Identify and analyse framing and composition, and write a PEEL paragraph

Lesson 5: In-Class Writing Task

• Critical writing under exam conditions; representing lived experiences from a First Nations perspective.
• Evaluate and analyse a text for long response, consider language choices, and discuss First Nations stories.

Lesson 6: Reading and Writing What You Know

• Authors’ lived experiences and representing them, short story composition, and Alison Bates’ memoir.
• Compose a memoir, identify and speculate on authorial role in self-representation; identify and analyse language and techniques in short stories.

Lesson 7: Representing Childhood Experiences

• Representing childhood through storytelling, historical representations of childhood, and Evelyn Araluen’s Finding Ways Home.
• Reflect on memories to compose stories, discuss historical notions of childhood, and develop strategies for critical analysis responses.

Lesson 8: Home in Family and Family in Home

• Representations of and storytelling about home, Araluen’s Finding Ways Home, and PEEL paragraph writing
• Think critically about language and literary devices representing home; revising and practising PEEL paragraphs

Lesson 9: Topic Test

Module 4

Analysing Shakespeare

Lesson 1: Shakespeare and Destiny

• The conventions of Renaissance tragedy and the function of prologue in drama.
• Analyse poetic language features; identify and distinguish between different Shakespearean genres.

Lesson 2: Masculinity

• Values and gender roles in early modern England; literary techniques including wordplay and similes.
• Identify cultural values in texts; explain the relationship between values and meaning.

Lesson 3: Femininity

• Shakespeare’s vocabulary; the roles of women in early modernity.
• Analyse language choices in dialogue; explain the relationship between values and meaning.

Lesson 4: The Balcony Scene

• The balcony scene and the characterisation of the titular characters.
• Analyse language features such as celestial imagery and extended metaphor; discuss perspective in drama.

Lesson 5: Writing a Critical Response

• The structure of a critical response; the nature of love in Romeo and Juliet.
• Organise ideas about texts into logical, critical structures; explain the influence of context on form and content.

Lesson 6: Violence and Conflict

• The enduring value of Shakespeare’s texts and the nature of violence and conflict in Romeo and Juliet.
• Analyse dramatic techniques like connotations and oxymoron.

Lesson 7: In-Class Writing Task

• Incorporating dramatic and poetic techniques as evidence; analytical paragraph structure and composition.
• Form a response to essay questions, reflect and analyse on how techniques contribute to meaning, and compose an essay paragraph.

Lesson 8: Writing an Extended Response

• Drafting an analytical body paragraph; the importance of planning, editing, and revising.
• Develop and maintain an argument incorporating dramatic techniques and contextual details.

Lesson 9: Topic Test