Literature
What is ATAR Literature all about?
Across the two units, it is expected that students develop a more sophisticated understanding of the elements of literary study. They are also expected to respond to texts of increasing complexity and explore how our response to literary texts results from relationships between writer, reader, text and context. They do close textual analysis of literary texts and develop their understandings of the historical and cultural contexts of the writer, the text and the reader. In these units, students explore how language works in literary texts and how readers are positioned.
Students consider how texts are structured according to genre and how the readers’ expectations about genre influence their response to texts. They are also expected to consider others’ readings of texts, including those of professional reviewers or critics. Students are required to use their experience of literature and their own experience and values to create their own literature.
Who should select these units in Year 11?
Students who enjoy reading and writing, have strong analytical skills and are achieving an A or B grade in Year 10 English.
Students wanting to select ATAR Unit 1 Literature will need to have successfully passed the Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA) in Year 10 or prequalified by achieving Band 8 or higher in the Year 9 NAPLAN.
Pathway
Upon successful completion of these units, students would progress to ATAR Literature in Year 12.
Areas of Study
UNIT 1 – LITERATURE
Prose Fiction, drama and poetry
- Examine reader response to texts
- Develop knowledge of literary conventions and close textual analysis
- Examine the importance of contextual information
- Produce creative responses
UNIT 2 – LITERATURE
Prose Fiction, drama and poetry
- Develop understanding of intertextuality, the ways texts connect with each other
- Explore different ideas, language and structure of texts
- Experiment with text structures and language features
To provide for different learning styles a variety of assessment tasks are used. For each course of study tasks are selected from:
- Extended written responses
- Short written responses
- Creative production of a literary text
- Oral presentations
- Examination
What is ATAR Literature all about?
In the Literature ATAR course, students learn to create readings of literary texts and to create their own texts, including essays, poems, short stories and plays. Students engage with literary theory and study literary texts in great detail. They learn to read texts in terms of their cultural, social and historical contexts; their values and attitudes; and their generic conventions and literary techniques. Students become more familiar with readings, reading practices and the possibility of multiple readings and they learn to create texts paying attention to contexts, values and conventions and learn about literary language, narrative, image and the power of representation.
Who should select these units in Year 12?
An understanding of the Literature ATAR Year 11 content is assumed knowledge for students in Year 12. It is recommended that students studying Unit 3 and Unit 4 have successfully completed Unit 1 and Unit 2 previously. Units 3 and 4 include the knowledge, understandings and skills described below. This is the examinable content.
Pathway
Students who are planning to go to University need to complete both Year 12 ATAR Units (3 and 4). A passing grade in this course is a requirement to obtain an ATAR score.
Areas of Study
UNIT 3
Prose Fiction, drama and poetry
- Develop knowledge and understanding of language, culture and identity in literary texts
- Examine values and attitudes and their impact on the reader
- Produce analytical responses and creative texts which experiment with language, conventions and ideas
UNIT 4
Prose Fiction, drama and poetry
- Develop detailed close critical reading skills through analysis of a variety of texts
- Reflect on language features that shape meaning and influence reader response
- Experiment with literary conventions and how they influence expectations of an audience
To provide for different learning styles a variety of assessment tasks are used. For each course of study tasks are selected from:
- Extended written responses
- Short written responses
- Creative production of a literary text
- Oral presentations
- Examination
