Reading to Write: Your comprehensive unit for NSW English Standard

Welcome to our sample three-week unit of work for the focus area of Reading to Writing: Transition to English Standard in the NSW English Syllabus 2024.

Throughout this unit, students undertake the close reading of quality texts across a variety of modes and mediums. A key focus of this unit is for students to develop their ability to understand, analyse and evaluate the way texts can convey complex ideas and themes. 

A unique focus of this unit is the integration of research backed teaching pedagogies which focus on the importance of students engaging in consistent reading for pleasure, textual analysis, and low-stakes writing for authentic audiences.

 

Formative Assessment: At the commencement of the unit, students engage in a formative assessment that challenges their writing abilities with a focus on their most pleasurable reading experience.

Outcomes: Throughout the three weeks, students will have multiple meaningful opportunities to achieve three of the syllabus' learning outcomes.

  • EST-11-01: analyses the ways an author's choice lof language, form and structure shape meaning in texts of different modes and mediums.
  • EST-11-02: explains the relationships between texts through context, form and language.
  • EST-11-05: composes critical and creative texts for a range of audiences and purposes.

The Texts We Read

Why did we choose these texts?

Text 1: Short Story

Margaret Atwood - Time Capsule Found on the Dead Planet.

Textual Concept Focus:

  • Style
  • Intertextuality

This short, yet textually complex text by Margaret Atwood allows students to analyse how form shapes meaning, and how concepts such as style and intertextuality are integrated to convey complex themes and ideas.

 

 

Text 2: Short Novel

F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby

Textual Concept Focus:

  • Context
  • Point-of-View

This critically acclaimed novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald allows students to engage in consistent, deep reading with the aim of immersing them in a pleasurable reading experience. Students are provided multiple opportunities to engage in meaningful discussions and creative writing processes in response to their textual analyses.

Text 3: Drama

Nick Enright - A Property of the Clan

Textual Concept Focus:

  • Context
  • Character

In the final weeks, students engage in reading performances of a dramatic play by Australian playwright Nick Enright which explores contemporary themes and ideas that resonate with high school students. The teaching activities capitalise on the text's relevance and challenges students to think critically and creatively.