Welcome to the English Department at Ferny Grove State High School.
Curriculum
Years 7-10
English
English is a compulsory subject in Years 7-10.
The general aim of English is for students to continue to develop their ability to use the language effectively and appropriately for a range of purposes and in a variety of situations. Students are mainly assessed through writing, speaking and reading tasks.
In each year level, students will be expected to read/view a range of literary, mass media and everyday texts. These include novels, short stories, drama scripts, poems and film or television programs. In addition, students are required to write/construct their own texts, including short stories, letters, essays, feature articles and news reports.
Years 11 & 12
In
Years 11 and 12 students are required to study either General or Applied
English subjects. Students studying a
General subject, may choose to study English and/or Literature. The Applied subject is Essential English
English - Years 11 & 12
English is a General subject, involving the in-depth study of both literary and non-literary texts. Students are assessed through four assessment tasks, each worth 25% of their final grade. Of these, one task is spoken (IA2); the other three are written. The culminating assessment task is an external essay exam.
Literature – Years 11 & 12
Literature is a General subject involving the in-depth study of literary texts and interpretations of them. Students are assessed through four assessment tasks, each worth 25% of their final grade. Of these, one task is spoken (IA2); the other three are written. The culminating assessment task is an external essay exam.
Essential English - Years 11 & 12
An alternative to General English or Literature is the Applied subject, Essential English. This subject has four units: Language that Works, Texts and Human Experience, Language that Influences, and Representations of Popular Culture in Texts. Students are assessed through four assessment tasks, each worth 25% of their final grade. Of these, two are spoken (IA1 and IA3) and two are written (CIA – Common Internal Assessment - and IA4). Students do not sit an external exam at the end of Year 12.
Co-curricular activities
Apart from various speaking and writing competitions, which are advertised to students throughout the year, the main co-curricular activity offered through the English Department is Interschool Debating. Each year, Ferny Grove State High School registers a number of teams to compete in the Queensland Debating Union (QDU) competition.
Debating is a great way for students to develop their abilities in reasoned argument and public speaking. In addition, debating builds self-confidence and promotes teamwork.
Students who commit to interschool debating work with their team and team coach to prepare debates on a variety of topics. Debates take place on Wednesday or Thursday nights and the initial heats involve each team debating against other Brisbane schools four times. Teams which win three or four of their initial debates progress to the preliminary finals and finals rounds.