Planning, programming and assessing English 7-10
Support and advice for teachers of Stages 4 and 5 English.
English K–10 Syllabus (2022)
The new syllabus is to be taught in Years 3 to 10 from 2024.
Detailed implementation information including key features and resources is available on the English syllabus development page (NESA).
Planning for Stage 4 and 5
These documents assist with the planning, implementation and evaluation of teaching and learning practice for Stage 4 and 5.
Stage 4
Sample teaching and learning program provide an example of how to approach programming through a conceptual lens. Each program is accompanied by a teacher support resource, an assessment task notification and annotated work sample. They provide activities and instructions for an entire term of learning. They also include extensive advice to teachers aligned to current research and to Version 3.0 of the National Literacy Learning Progression.
These documents accompany the teaching and learning program Powerful Youth Voices.
Stage 5
The sample scope and sequence provides an approach to organising syllabus outcomes and content to address syllabus requirements. The teaching and learning programs, resources and assessments released throughout the year will be aligned to these scope and sequences.
These documents accompany the teaching and learning program Representation of life experiences.
- Year 9 – sample assessment notification – representation of life experiences (DOCX 263.4 KB)
- Year 9 – core texts booklet – representation of life experiences (DOCX 149.1 KB)
- Year 9 – teaching and learning program – representation of life experiences (DOCX 820.4 KB)
- Year 9 – resource booklet – representation of life experiences (DOCX 1.7 MB)
English K–10 Syllabus (2012)
Units designed for English K-10 Syllabus (2012) that can be adapted to suit the individual needs of your students.
Character study within poetry (3+ hours)
Character poem – Timothy Winters (DOCX 78KB) – character in poetry.
Code and convention
Code and convention (DOCX 100KB) – develop students' thinking imaginatively, creatively, interpretively and critically about information, ideas and arguments to respond to and compose texts.
Crafting character (3-4 hours)
Crafting character – short story (DOCX 99KB) – students refine their understanding of the conventions of the short story form, the process of characterisation, and the features of narrative.
Creative writing (3-4 hours)
Creative writing (DOCX 88KB) – utilise within a larger unit in order to develop capacity with language and creative writing skills.
Film study: Finding Nemo (3-4 hours)
Film – Finding Nemo (DOCX 941KB) – a student-guided inquiry into characterisation using the film text Finding Nemo.
Representation in advertising (5-8 hours)
Representation in advertising (DOC 94KB) – develop student understanding of representation and how it is constructed by the composer.
Are you talking to me?
- Are you talking to me? – unit (DOCX 477KB) –Year 7 – students explore difference and diversity through imaginative thinking and writing.
- Are you talking to me? – resources and activities (DOCX 3.2MB)
i Space
- iSpace - unit (DOCX 530KB) – early Year 7 – autobiographical representations of lived experiences, facilitating student reflection on their cultural background, past experiences, identity and how they fit into the high school environment.
- iSpace - resources and activities (DOCX 2.8MB)
From page to page – multimodal narratives
- From page to game – multimodal narratives – unit (DOCX 783KB) – visual literacy and comprehending sequential art narratives – an exploration of graphic novels leads to a detailed study of Nathan Jurevicius' Scarygirl and its computer game appropriation.
- From page to game: – multimodal narratives – resources and activities (DOCX 4.9MB)
ALARM template for novel study (5-8 hours)
ALARM template – novel study (DOCX 70KB) – students complete a scaffold that guides them to demonstrate their understanding of how context, characterisation and theme are relevant to their understanding or appreciation of a text.
Exploring the Gothic conventions in short animated film (4-6 hours)
Gothic animation (DOCX 85KB) – students learn about gothic conventions as part of a wider unit on genre, or short film, or creating mood, setting or description in fiction and film specifically looking at gothic animation.
Concepts – Perspective in war poetry
Concepts – Perspective in war poetry (DOCX 75KB) – this lesson to analyse concepts of perspective, context or representation.
Character and context in Macbeth
Character and context in Macbeth (DOCX 64.6KB) – an activity showing how Shakespeare describes the character Macbeth.
Documenting our world
Documenting our world engages students in contemporary issues through the study of documentary films. Students view two documentaries before undertaking the task of composing their own documentary in a small group.
- Documenting our world - unit of work (DOCX 740KB)
- Documenting our world - resources and activities (DOC 2.6MB)
In their position
In their position explores the representations of refugees and asylum seekers in global, national and personal contexts. Students engage with multiple perspectives and critically analyse the power of language to persuade and position audiences.
The English textual concepts and learning processes support the explicit teaching of the knowledge and skill in the English syllabuses. Through the use of English textual concepts, teachers can chart the development of student understanding through each stage of learning.