Reservoir West Primary School

ENGLISH

RESPONSIBILITY: Mrs Carol West

This domain is taught by classroom teachers and supplemented by:

• Two-hour daily Literacy block for all classes
• Weekly Library lessons
• Reading Recovery
• Near-ability groupings across year levels
• Support teachers and intervention programs
• Extension programs
• Home Reading program
• English as a Second Language program

In the English domain, texts and language constitute the central and essential concepts. The concept of texts focuses equally on creating and analysing texts, understanding and interpreting texts, and moving beyond interpretation to reflection and critical analysis. The concept of language includes the use of language and the development of linguistic competence, and the development of knowledge about language.

Students learn to appreciate, enjoy and use language and develop a sense of its richness and its power to evoke feelings, to form and convey ideas, to inform, to discuss, to persuade, to entertain and to argue.

The English domain is centred on the conscious and deliberate study of language in the variety of texts and contexts in which it is spoken, read, viewed and written. It is concerned with a wide range of written and spoken texts in print and electronic forms including literary texts such as novels, short stories, poetry, plays and non-fiction; film and other multimodal texts; media texts; information, commercial and workplace texts; everyday texts; and personal writing.

The study of English involves students in reading, viewing, listening to, writing, creating, comparing, researching and talking about a range of text types from the simple to the complex, from texts dealing with concrete and straightforward information to those dealing with increasingly complex and abstract issues and ideas. English teachers encourage students to explore the meaning of texts and how meaning is conveyed. They introduce critical approaches to the ideas and thinking contained in texts and support students in the development of critical understanding about the ways writers and speakers control language to influence their listeners, readers and viewers.

Students develop an understanding of the way purpose, audience and situation influence the structures and features of language and learn to apply their knowledge in their reading, writing, viewing, speaking and listening. They come to understand that different kinds of texts are appropriate for different occasions and learn to appreciate the variety of English usage in different times and places. They also learn about the ways language shapes and reflects attitudes in different times and places. Students are provided with opportunities to use language effectively in a range of contexts from informal to formal.

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Students learn terminology or metalanguage to describe and discuss particular structures and features of language produced in a variety of contexts. They learn to control language by applying their understanding of the grammatical structures of Standard Australian English, by learning to spell accurately and use punctuation effectively, as well as by imitating good writers and speakers.

Understanding texts and recognising how language works within them is necessary for success at school and beyond for an active, informed and fulfilling life in modern Australian society and the global community. By understanding and working with texts, students acquire the knowledge, skills and personal qualities that enable them to read, view and listen critically and to think, speak and write clearly and confidently.

The English domain is organised into six sections, one for each level of achievement from Level 1 to Level 6. In English, standards for assessing and reporting on student achievement apply from Level 1.

Standards in the English domain are organised in three dimensions:

• reading
• writing
• speaking and listening.

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The learning in these dimensions is interrelated. For example, speaking and listening contribute to the development of students’ reading responses. Writing contributes to communication about texts read or viewed and to reflection and learning. To help support student progress in all three dimensions, learning contexts are diverse and include situations that are informal, formal, planned and spontaneous.

Reading

The Reading dimension involves students understanding, interpreting, critically analysing, reflecting upon, and enjoying written and visual, print and non-print texts. It encompasses reading and viewing a wide range of texts and media, including literary texts such as novels, short stories, poetry and plays as well as popular fiction and non-fiction works, newspapers and magazines, illustrations, posters and charts, film and television and the texts associated with information and communications technology. Reading involves active engagement with texts and the development of knowledge about the relationship between them and the contexts in which they are created. It also involves the development of knowledge about a range of strategies for reading.

Writing

The Writing dimension involves students in the active process of conceiving, planning, composing, editing and publishing a range of texts including writing for print and electronic media and performance. Writing involves using appropriate language for particular purposes or occasions, both formal and informal, to express and represent ideas, issues, arguments, events, experience, character, emotion and information and to reflect on such ideas. It involves the development of knowledge about strategies for writing and the conventions of Standard Australian English. Students develop a metalanguage to discuss language conventions and use.

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Speaking and listening

This dimension refers to the various formal and informal ways oral language is used to convey and receive meaning. It involves the development and demonstration of knowledge about the appropriate oral language for particular audiences and occasions, including body language and voice. It also involves the development of active-listening strategies and an understanding of the conventions of different spoken texts including everyday communication, group discussion, formal presentations and speeches, storytelling and negotiating.

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VICTORIAN ESSENTIAL LEARNING STANDARDS

This table outlines where a student is expected to be at a particular time in his/her educational journey. Most students will achieve the expected standard. Some will achieve to a higher standard. Some may not reach the expected standard.

Click to view a description of the behaviours that a student should display at each progression point in English at Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4.

A student’s achievement is reported to parents at June and December. Click for an explanation of the Report Card.

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