English Studies

Whole-college literacy support

The importance of establishing sound literacy skills early on, is very well known, and McClelland has a policy of ensuring that English and general literacy skills are supported across all areas of study, at all year levels. Built into the planning of all units of work are mechanisms to establish and build upon students’ individual literacy levels, as well as their individual learning styles. This has had significant positive impacts on day-to-day engagement in learning activities, and is part of the reason why McClelland’s students perform so well in senior studies and exams.

Year 7, 8 & 9 MAX Learning Centres

Within the flexible spaces of the Years 7, 8 and 9 MAX learning centres, students engage in specific English and literacy skill development via a broad range of thematic units, Expos and community engagement projects. Students’ work supports extension of skills in reading, viewing, writing, speaking and listening.

Year 9-10 Elective

The English Studies elective is a further extension of English that allows students to build skills for VCE studies such as English and English Literature. This elective is also beneficial for students wishing to improve their comprehension and writing skills in preparation for VCE.

Students participating in this elective program will experience the following:

• Reading and responding to a range of novels, short stories, plays and poetry, informative and persuasive texts including everyday texts, media texts and workplace texts.
• Developing an understanding of the mass media including current affairs, news articles, features, editorials, documentaries and reviews.
• Exploring and interpreting different perspectives on complex issues through reading and writing
• Practising writing and speaking expressively about thoughts, feelings, opinions and ideas, and constructing arguments to persuade others to share a point of view.
• Using evidence to justify points of view and develop logical conclusions
• Using of a range of word-processing and editing software to produce texts that incorporate digital still images, digital audio and video, and print.
• Listening to speakers in a range of contexts, including the school, the wider community and workplaces and developing skills in interpreting meaning; for example, by identifying inferences and assumptions.

Senior English Literacy Studies

Options include:

• VCE English (Units 1, 2, 3 & 4)
• VCE English Literature (Units 1, 2, 3 & 4)
• VCAL Literacy Skills (Foundation, Intermediate & Senior Levels)

Academy Program

A new and very exciting option from 2014 is choosing to be involved in the Creative Landscape Academy (Taking the Journey from Reader to Writer) program, which involves Yrs 7 to 12 in a comprehensive range of writing skill development, community engagement and exploration of career paths. Click HERE for more about McClelland's Academy Program.

See also English as an Additional Language (EAL)