Subjects

Who is it for?

VCE English Units 3 and 4 is one of the English subjects you can undertake in order to qualify for a VCE certificate. English is the subject most students enrol in to complete their VCE. You must complete a sequence of English (or Literature or English Language) Units 3 and 4 in order to be eligible for a VCE certificate.

What do you do?

Activities you will engage in include:

• reading and analysing a range of texts, including short stories and a film
• writing both short and long responses to texts
• drafting practice pieces and submitting them to teachers for feedback
• researching contemporary issues reported on by the Australian media
• analysing arguments and opinions put forward by others and examining the language used to do so
• developing skills to help you present ideas and viewpoints orally.

What skills do you need?

You need to be able to read texts independently, write clearly and fluently, and be able to participate in class discussions. If you are returning to education or have interrupted study experiences, you will be able to gain the necessary skills with practice and support.

What skills do you develop?

In English Units 3 and 4 you will develop the ability to:

• read and evaluate texts and form your own interpretations of them
• support your analysis with textual evidence
• write in various forms and styles
• explain and comment on the decisions made in your own writing
• identify contention, arguments, tone and language devices within persuasive texts
• present your own point of view to an audience in an engaging manner.

Requirements

All work will be completed and submitted online weekly. The course and many supplementary activities are online.

You will need to buy one text for the year:
Bad Dreams and Other Stories, Tessa Hadley

Please note: Some students may find the first story in this collection challenging to read, as it reflects on negotiating consent in relationships. If you think that content may be difficult for you, we encourage you to skip this story, ‘An Abduction,’ and begin with the second story, ‘The Stain.’ You can discuss this with your teacher when they are allocated to you.

You will also study Sunset Boulevard, Billy Wilder (film)- this is available in the online course.

Additionally, you will study a selection of short texts to explore the Framework of Writing about personal journeys. These will be available in the online course.

Things to think about

Reflect on your experiences of English at Units 1 and 2 and have a look at the other English courses available at VSV. Consider whether you are best suited to English, Literature or English Language. If you are not sure, speak to a year level coordinator at VSV.

You need to complete at least one of the English subjects outlined above in order to be eligible for a VCE certificate.

Things you can do now

Buy and read or view the prescribed texts. You should also annotate and keep additional notes on each text for your reference.

Having a basic understanding of each text before the start of the school year is vital. If you have not read each of the texts before the start of the year at least once, you will struggle to keep up with the course work and you may not perform as well in the major assessments.

You will be able to access a copy of the film Sunset Boulevard when you start the course but you may want to obtain your own copy and view it prior to this.

In addition to this, you are advised to conduct additional research on each of the texts, including the historical setting, the author and the key ideas or themes explored by the author.

Keep up-to-date with current issues in the Australian media, which will keep you informed and should make the Analysing argument outcomes more accessible. It is highly recommended that you view news and current affairs from more than one source.

Finally, you should organise the notes and work you have completed for English Units 1 and 2 (Year 11) as these may be useful to you in Units 3 and 4 (Year 12).