VCE English Unit 1The Context Study

AREA OF STUDY 2Creating and presenting

In this area of study your writing is informed by reading a range of texts relevant to a Context

You are encouraged to read widely and to study set texts in order to examine the affects of form, purpose, audience and context on the authors’ choice of structure and language.

You will draw on the knowledge gained from this study to create your own written and/or multimodal texts in a process which includes planning, reviewing and editing.

Outcome 2On completion of this unit the student should be able to

create and present texts taking account of audience, purpose and context.

Key knowledge includes:

• the structures, features and conventions of a range of texts created for different purposes; for example, personal and imaginative, informative, instructional, argumentative or persuasive;

• the effects of form, context, audience and purpose on the author’s choice of structure and language;

• the visual, auditory and digital features used by authors to make meaning…

The Context- Area of Study 2: Creating and

PresentingAim of the study- create a collection of 3 pieces of

writing.

The 3 pieces should be directly related to the defining “context” or focus.

In this Unit, the Context will be “Exploring Issues of Identity and Belonging’

The process for developing pieces of writing will involve working from text to our own writing.

You will aim to develop your writing, exploring “Issues of Identity and Belonging’ ” using different styles and genres to suit the purpose and audience.

Although we will work through a number of specific exercises in class, you are encouraged to undertake your own investigation of text/writing associated with this study.

Explore! Find! Consider! Respond … REACT!

Writing: You may develop your responses in a variety of formats:

NarrativeNewspaper articleEssayPlay or speechPoemsPersonal ResponseCollection of diary entriesShort storyEditorial

You may use a variety of styles

… styles …exposition/essaypoem/s

script (speech or play)

letter/ssatire/parody

report

diary (could be a blog)

persuasive/argumentsocial commentary

c h i l d r e n ’ s s t o r y

YOU MUST OUTLINE YOUR PURPOSE

… different purposes.

to inform

to confront, or alarm

to explore your feelings, or hopes, or fears

to persuade

to predict

to admire

to express or provoke regret or nostalgia

to criticise

GATTACAWe will begin with a study of the film Gattaca

Gattaca

Geneticsgenetic engineering

determinism

freedomidentity

discrimination

free-will

genetic flaws

invalidvalid

parentage

evolution

creation

DNA

Bible – Ecclesiastes 7:13 Bible – Ecclesiastes 7:13 "Consider what God has done: "Consider what God has done:

Who can straighten what he Who can straighten what he has made crookedhas made crooked?”?”

faith births

degenerates

natural birth

genetic selection

manipulation

Nature vs Nurture

Genetic ImperfectionGenetic ImperfectionGenetic PerfectionGenetic PerfectionGenetically Genetically

privilegedprivileged

EugenicsEugenics

Gattaca Mood/ Futuristic Setting

Split Society

Injustice

Sterile

Suspicious

Determinism, identity, discrimination, genetic engineering

Gattaca – from character to writing … Focus on Identity

Eugene- suicidal, lack of courage, unable to live up to perfection, daring, wants to believe, courageous …

Irene– heart defect leads to her feeling of inferiority…

Vincent – courageous, driven to succeed, violent …

letters – to Jerome on the spaceship, or mother; a diary; newspaper article (announcing his “criminal act” –

[love] letters (to Vincent); dialogue with detectives, while Vincent is in space

report on the achievements in space, PowerPoint presentation of the history and disasters of Eugenics

?

The outcome is …Three pieces that you develop in class that

respond to the context, the prompt and the text.

You will need to submit a draft(s).

Examples:

Personal Reflection on a particular event that has shaped your identity

Narrative about a turning point in your life

Analyse a series of scenes in Gattaca with reference to Identity and Belonging

What’s your vision of the future?