Didn't do english 1/2.. how do I prepare?

[AnnaT]

Hey guys,

I did lit 1/2 without English last year but for year 12 I have decided to change to English. I think I will be ok with text response and language analysis (similar to what we did in lit) but how do I prepare for what I missed in context? My school has given us 2 pictures as prompts for context but I have no idea where to begin...

Has anyone else been in this situation and has any advice? Is there a good english textbook that helps if you havent done the 1/2?

Thanks
Anna

[Zafaraaaa]

For context, you can prepare by just researching external sources, such as news. If you're doing a context like "Whose reality?" or "Identity and Belonging" there's heaps of links you can make with those to Psychology and Philosophy. I'm not sure which context you're doing though? I did "Encountering Conflict" so I remember for that I just researched and got main ideas/events which relate to the context - such as Iraq war/World Wars/Ideological conflict (McCarthyism)/Wikileaks.

Also, most of the time, your context can be broken down into little dot points, that outline the main types of prompts that you can get. E.g. for Conflict, we had:

-Causes of conflict
-Consequences of conflict
-Responses to conflict
-Resolutions to conflict

so see if you can break down your context into different segments or topics and it'll be SOOOO much easier for you

In terms of English textbooks, I haven't come across any that are really that good (we dont use them half the time tbh) but I guess I'd say the Oxford English textbook is better than the Insight one, I think Also, you'll find specific books for each section of the English exam, and I think these helped me somewhat (more so than the textbook):
http://www.apluspub.com.au/category/2603

[totaled]

my friend was in your position last year, she ended up with a 48 in english

what i told her was to focus MOST on language anaylsis. i've noticed a growing trend in that those who do lit often do poorly, or you could say 'not so well' in language analysis.. maybe because it isn't really the same as lit (i wouldnt have a clue about the lit coures). text response i hear would be a walk in the park for you guys, and yeah a lot of literature students often write imaginative essays for context, so focus on context too.

there isnt really any textbooks for english, i'd just focus on reading good essays, and seeing what constitutes a great essay, or what vcaa examiners are really looking for have a talk to your school teachers too, im sure you're not hte first person in this position.

[aabattery]

what i told her was to focus MOST on language anaylsis. i've noticed a growing trend in that those who do lit often do poorly, or you could say 'not so well' in language analysis.. maybe because it isn't really the same as lit (i wouldnt have a clue about the lit coures). text response i hear would be a walk in the park for you guys, and yeah a lot of literature students often write imaginative essays for context, so focus on context too.

+1

Concentrate on the language analysis... Read a lot of the news, esp. opinion columns.
Also, read the vcaa examiner's reports very carefully - they give a lot of hints as to what the assessors want to see.

[AnnaT]

Thank you all so much!
My context is The Imaginative Landscape.. I'm not entirely sure what this entails.. it seems less straightforward than the others...

Im also a bit worrying about Language Analysis.. because i haven't looked at any 'persuasive techniques' since year 10.. do you think its a matter of going over them again and then reading the newspaper and other essays to get a feel for it? - What I'm worried about is doing too much without a 'correct' structure (which my teachers said they would reintroduce from the first day)

 

[totaled]

LOL i wouldn't be too concerned, just yeah look over general techniques, grab newspaper articles (opinion/editorials) and try see if you can spot their contention and their main techniques/strategies. i walked into year 12 not knowing what a context essay was, and without much of a clue for language analysis either.

in terms of a 'correct' structure, there are like literally heaps and heaps of different structures that teachers and tutors try force upon you. personally i would write language analysis with an open mind, trying different structures until finding one that suits you well. as long as your writing has a general structure and isn't all over the place, you won't be penalised

[AnnaT]

ok, thank you! This is comforting! As you can obviously see I am a bit of a worrier

[totaled]

haha well its our atar so of course it's natural to worry!
lots of people walk into year 12 .. not knowing much at all, just work hard throughout this year and you'll do great !

[Seems madam?]

I think that the Literature and English courses are more similar now than ever before. In fact both of my English and Literature teachers said that the skills developed in one, help you in the other. The focus on close language analysis in Literature translates nicely to English as examiners appreciate it when you talk about the connotation or implied meaning of a word. Also, the 'hour glass' paragraph structure which you might have encountered in Literature, fits in really well with the text-response essay and the context expository essay. This paragraph structure is when you begin generally, then become more tightly focused, then finish with broad statements about the text - a lot like the shape of an hour glass. In short, don't worry about not having done English 1/2.

A quick note about Language Analysis. Elaborating on what others have said, it is a great idea to read opinion pieces and editorials in the paper. Try to find the overall contention (eg. parents should set a better example at their children's sports games), then try to think of a few reasons why the writer thinks this should be done (eg. parenting is about setting a good example, parents should always act responsibly and rationally, and parents have the opportunity to inspire good qualities in their children especially in the emotional setting of a sports game). This will get you in a great language analysis 'mindset'.

Also, it'd be a good idea to read your English texts once during these holidays (if you haven't already). Read it for fun, not for analysis. Soak up the emotion and the thrill of the book not worrying about themes, structure and portrayal, you'll have plently of time to think about those later. You mightn't expect it but when you simply read a book, just for fun, you pick up (perhaps subconsciously) on so many ideas, techniques and interesting points that you probably wouldn't have if you were reading with analysis in mind. In any case, it's good to familiarise yourself with a text to get a headstart on memorising quotes!

Overall, the fact that you chose to Literature 1/2 in year 11 tells me you've got a passion for the English language and enjoy it in general. In my opinion, if you have this same passion for a subject you will go very far in the VCE. I'm sure you'll do well