As a foundational subject, English learning should progress steadily through the high school years. By capturing the imagination of Year 9 students, English lessons should build on the skills introduced as they enter high school, with the goal of ensuring progress and ultimately, an appreciation of the written word continues through to Year 12.
In Year 9, students should be introduced to a wide variety of texts with a range of different purposes. This will include literary texts, such as poetry and prose, written for aesthetic beauty and to move a reader, as well as media texts, such as newspaper, film and digital texts; dramatic texts such as plays, movies and performances; persuasive texts, and those requiring reasoning and higher thought processes.
By exposing students to a wide variety of literary forms over the course of the year, the skills to unpack and critique them are likely to develop naturally. This will also allow students the opportunity to discover forms of writing that really work for them, which may help to spark more independent reading and writing.
Rather than simply absorbing texts, Year 9 students are ready to dissect and reconsider them. Developing the skills to critique contemporary media is an important part of Year 9 English learning. This side of the curriculum can lead to great discussions and debates among students and mentors about the ways in which facts — or otherwise — are presented by different forms of media. Viewing media through a critical lens is not only important for getting through Year 9 English but also for appreciating literature, film and art once they leave school.
This can also extend to critiquing fictional works, which involves a more personal viewpoint. Through careful analysis of word choice, language features and imagery formation, Year 9 students will develop skills to recognise the ways in which text structures can be manipulated to create different effects in the minds of the reader. They will also see how different authors use these effects in different ways, and how those authors develop a recognisable style of their own. Being able to constructively critique the work of others will also better enable students to consider the intended effects of their own work.
When it comes to interpreting informative and persuasive texts, students are not only unpacking the ways in which the author has constructed them, but also developing skills for creating their own texts. Any lesson in analysing another author’s work can be followed up by creating a work of their own, with those skills and ideas still fresh in the mind. Another way to follow up a text analysis might be to transform it from one form into another – for instance taking a newspaper article and forming it into a fiction piece to see how word choice and emotive language can change a text.
It might seem obvious, but looking beyond well known classical texts and best seller fiction and absorbing the work of Australian writers will help Australian students to better understand the world they live in. This should include Australian short stories, novels and poetry, as well as the oral narrative traditions and contemporary literature work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Extending this exposure beyond the borders of Australia and into Asia and the Pacific can also be helpful in gaining an understanding of the context of life in Australia. This will also help them to see beyond the window of their own world and develop empathy and personal skills in relation to others.
Interpreting the ways in which different cultures are represented in these texts can be a means to exploring persuasive essay writing skills. Year 9 English students can discover how to back up their opinions and thoughts with evidence and examples gleaned from texts, and how best to present an argument or thought process over the course of a written report. In this way, students learn how their language choices can influence an audience.
For those working with homeschooled students, assessments might happen organically, with written reports and fictional writing carried out as it comes to light through school work and discussions. According to the Australian Year 9 English curriculum, assessments tend to happen twice per term as follows:
Term 1:
Term 2:
Term 3:
Term 4:
For most students, the Year 9 English curriculum will contain a good deal of interesting content, with many opportunities to absorb thought-provoking texts and form opinions based on reading and watching media. By the end of Year 9, students will have a great understanding of how their language choices influence others. What’s more, they’ll begin to develop an eye for critiquing the choices of a range of creators.
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