Background – VCE – its intentions

1. Language Analysis for all – get it right from Year 8 and understand what the Assessors want in Year 12

2. Background – VCE – its intentions • VCE English is the culmination of a rounded English course. It is not an add on and all the skills we teach students in English that are essential for living as independent, responsible global citizens are essential in VCE English.

3. To succeed in VCE English students must be able to: • Read fluently and be able to draw independent and sophisticated conclusions from a range of types of text that they read • Speak confidently and fluently for a range of purposes in a range of situations, demonstrating evidence of insight and thoughtful awarenessabout the issue or topic they are addressing • Write in a huge range of forms, for different purposes and audiences in a manner that clearly expresses complex thinking • Analyseverbally and in writing how texts create their meanings - whether these be literary or media texts showing an understanding of the historical and cultural context of these texts

4. Language Analysis • Here's some of the things that this section of the course is NOT:It's not an exercise in picking out techniques and listing themIt's not an exercise in explaining how certain persuasive techniques workIf you want to learn lists of techniques go ahead, knock yourself out, but be warned it could trap you into the behaviour listed above and ensure you cannot get anything above the equivalent of a D.This is what this section IS about.It's about showing that you understand HOW a writer is trying to get you to agree with his or her point of view (contention) on a particular issue. You may wish to embed into your discussion certain terms such as generalisation, bias or emotive language to assist with the cogency of your writing, but only to assist in describing PRECISELY what is happening to this PARTICULAR language as it is used by the writer to sway readers to agree with this PARTICULAR and PRECISE contention. At all times you MUST be writing about how this particular article works to persuade the reader. Your discussion is useless if it is too general. Examples below - particularly A Closer Look at the Homework will help. • Taken from 12englishwhi.wikispaces.com – on which you can find a LOT of resources on language analysis page • See also Year 12 page of wantirnaenglish.wikispaces.com

5. What the Examiners Say about Language Analysis • There were few examples of simplistic labelling, and it was clear that students understood of the nature of the task. • Assessors noted a discernible improvement from previous years, especially in regard to moving away from describing techniques. However, some students would still benefit from support to master the skills of exploring language use and its intended impact on the audience, rather than listing and describing.

6. Example of low scoring student • Mrs Elliot uses a range of persuasive techniques like Rhetorical questions. . A rhetorical question implies an answer however does not give one. The tone of the question usually positions the reader to accept the implied answer. It is used when wanting to leave the reader engaged but hanging. • she uses the hip pocket nerve when she is talking about school book updates which will students and parents. The language for the piece is very inclusive and imaginative. The inclusive language makes the reader feel included so they will agree with the writer that reading is important.

7. What we don’t want • Showing B for C confident kid answers question. Music playing what a wonderful world – slides about agression. Teacher asks “What point is made here and how is the film maker achieving this?” • Student answers “The writer uses experts, evidence and statistics and that’s very convincing to the reader”– not analysing, not thinking - • We want the student to talk specifically about those pictures – all these examples showed US trying to manipulate policy abroad – so if they didn’t like a leader they could fund the opposition or have them deposed. The montage culminated with twin towers to justify US attacks abroad – juxtaposition of music with ugly images

8. Example of high scoring student • The growing prevalence of e-books in today’s society has been met with both admiration but also concern. During her presentation at the forum on reading and literacy-related activities (‘Reading: the future’), Mrs Elliot attempts to sway the audience into making sure the positive elements of hard copy books are not forgotten and a world where only e-books thrive does not eventuate. In her speech, Mrs Elliot uses her prior position of expertise (retired librarian) in an incredibly personal and direct approach to persuade her audience of teachers, librarians and senior school students to convey to her style of thinking. • The outset is dominated by Mrs Elliot positioning her audience to indeed trust her. Her relation to the audience; ‘fellow book-lovers’ is used in an attempt to manipulate the audience to engage and listen to what she has to say. The structure of her speech very much depends on this relation being made as the rest of the presentation encapsulates Mrs Elliot’s experiences and personal opinions. The sentiment that Mrs Elliot ‘like[s] change’ is done with the intended purpose of making the audience feel Mrs Elliot is not stuck in the past. The words ‘I thought’ and ‘had to be a good thing’ enable Mrs Elliot to discuss the positives of e-books (to display a more rounded argument) whilst at the same time, displaying a hint that there is more to it. Her first slide which accompanied her speech relates to the positive elements of e-books. The photograph of a young boy smiling at the usage of his e-book whilst a mountain of books lay stacked behind him echo the image of ‘children setting off without the terrible burden of their great big textbook’. The small backpack compared with the mountain of books acts to attempt to persuade the audience about the improvements that have been made, a weight has been lifted, both metaphorically and literally. After the visual has displayed the positive elements of e-books, Mrs Elliot again forbodes her underlying intention; ‘some things about them are great’. The quantifier ‘some’ perhaps suggests to the audience that although elements are positive, there are also elements that are negative.

9. How to build the skills for Language Analysis Teach students the techniques of persuasive langauge in association with their persuasive writing (NAPLAN prep 7 and 9; 8 – Newspaper unit) then Ask them to explain how their writing was persuasive – How did they persuade their audience to agree with their point of view – orally and in writing depending on skills of students Look at accessibl and interesting multi modal texts and explore how they are persuasive e.g. documentaries and reality TV and news websites (Year 10, Year 9, Year 8). Always stressing the importance of specific and precise analysis of the effects of precise words and phrases DO NOT teaching lists of persuasive techniques when students are writing an analysis DO NOT teach students to structure a language analysis by beginning paragraphs with a definition of a language technique Language Analysis should not be structured around techniques – this naturally encourages students to list. Teach Skepsi classes Year 12 analysis skills

10. Resources • Harvard Project Zero – Visible Thinking • Independent Reading page on wantirnaenglish.wikispaces.com • www.12englishwhi.wikispaces.com • Past exams and exam reports • http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/vce/studies/english/englishexams.aspx#H2N1002F