Year 11 English - Extension

Course Overview

Term 1
Text and Context: Wananga, Tangata Whenua, Whakapapa, Tikanga
Students will learn to read literature in, and as a reflection of, context – social, cultural and historical. This will allow for a deeper understanding of how writing can simultaneously shape, reflect and critique societies through time. Moving away from the boundaries of the Western Canon will allow students to experience the new postcolonial perspectives and gain an appreciation for new cultural lenses – creating a space where Maori voices lie at the heart of our curriculum. In doing so students will gain a greater understanding of their own place within history and society as tangata tiriti. Possible modes of communication could include: Creative cultural self-expression through prose or poetry, analysis of literary and historic texts.

Term 2
Literature and The Human Experience: Whanaungatanga, Turangawaewae, Manawhenua
Building upon ‘Text and Context’ students will explore how a variety of texts can speak to the shared human experience and how the societies we form function. Aspects of power and control can be considered here from a macro perspective, alongside more introspective notions such as isolation and alienation. A full study of a Shakespeare play will be incorporated within this unit, as it is in each year of the extension pathway, and will considered alongside other texts, including NZ and Maori ones . Students will be introduced to philosophical, psychological and/or socio-political theories and will learn to apply these to the interpretation of a range of short texts or an extended text. Possible modes of communication could include: Independent reading studies and personal reflections, inter-textual analysis.

Term 3
Writing to Tomorrow: Manaakitanga, Whakawhanaungatanga, Kaitiakitanga,
As students develop their understanding of the context and conceptual elements of literature across Units 1 and 2, they will then move to consider how literature today reflects our ever-changing world and tries to speak to our future. Students will consider how, as society changes, we can try to express those evolving ideas around issues such as masculinity and cultural identity in spoken, written and visual form. Contemporary texts from new authors, poets and directors can be amplified while also keeping room to examine how classic texts, both visual and written, are reflections of their own societies’ concerns. Evolving ideas aside, there is also an opportunity to examine how modes of creating meaning are also changing with the times – how perhaps ‘interactive texts’ in the form of video games are carving out their own space in the literary world. Possible modes of communication could include: Wide reading inquiry, creation of visual and/or oral texts.

Term 4
Portfolio Assembly & Summative Assessment: Ako
Depending on the timing of exams and our year would culminate in the final assembly of the students’ portfolios and crafting this work. Final formative assessments can take place under exam conditions during this period – capitalizing on the essay writing and interpretive skills the students will have developed over the year and ensuring they are fully prepared for the rigours of Year 12 English.