Beginning Unit 3 4 English Preparation

[ziaxadon]

Hey Guys,
I've just completed unit 1 2 english and have been quite consistent with my SACS (scoring A+ on almost every assessment). As I will be heading to unit 3 4 english quite soon and I am aiming for 45+ SS, how should I best prepare over these remaining weeks of school and the summer break? Should I begin studying all 4 texts or should I focus on the ones which will be assessed first? I am also completing unit 3 4 English as a year 11 student and I am only completing two unit 3/4s next year: Chinese SL and English. How should I best balance out these two subjects?

[lovelyperson]

Read your texts and write anything to keep your writing skills in tip-top shape. Otherwise just relax - you have a whole year of hard work ahead of you, and you don't want to burnout before it even begins.

[zofromuxo]

Here are some well-made guides on the site that can help you.
English Compendium of resources
Doing Year 12 in Year 11
Preparing before school starts]https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=164462.0] Preparing before school starts

As for balancing between Chinese SL & English, I guess it depends on how well you fare with each subject.
Eg: You are weaker on Chinese SL compared to English. So logically you would focus and allocate more resources to studying Chinese SL.
You can also set long-terms goals like Desired SS for English & Chinese SL, then set short-terms goals to achieve that like revising for on work done that week. You then set a study schedule around these goals and that should balance out you time studying on subjects.

I would also just experiment this year as well for Year 12 as well.

[Sam M]

Definitely read your books.
If you wanted you could read them a second time and do some annotations. This could be helpful as it would provide your unique interpretation before it is affected by your teacher.
Other than that, I agree with what everyone else has said -- enjoy your last real break.

[lilyrosee]

What texts r u studying next year out of curiosity?

[ziaxadon]

For my single text response I will be studying Medea, for the comparative I will be doing 1984 and Stasiland and for the creative component I will doing the old new world poems.

[abbeyrose]

Aside from completing any homework that you've been given, I would suggest you (definitely) read all of your assigned texts and then take note of the main themes, ideas, characters, etc that you notice in your initial read. Considering the structure of the course, really familiarising yourself with and understanding the texts (and their contexts) you are studying for the single text response and creative response will put you in good stead for the upcoming year (as these are the texts you will study first).  At this stage, the most beneficial thing would probably be to read the company study guides (such as Insight) on your prescribed texts as they will help you to begin thinking of your texts in an analytical way and encourage you to develop your own interpretations. If you want to go further then I'd lightly touch on doing further annotations and making your own resources, however, I'd really only start doing this next year when you're having class discussions and have the direct guidance of your teacher.

As someone who went a little overboard with studying in the summer holidays, I would like to really emphasise the need to relax during these holidays. Throughout next year you'll have plenty of time to study, stress and submerge yourself into the world of year 12 - you will need to begin the year refreshed and ready. I burnt out quite badly at one stage this year due to overworking myself and, take it from me, you want to ensure you utilise all of the free time you have. I know it can feel like you need to do the extra work, but having a break will really help to you to succeed next year. Good luck with it all and relax!

[spectroscopy]

read all the books once as a regular reader/fan

then read them a second time: go through them and start to annotate the books, take note of different themes, use of language, etc. and start to analyze it from front to back

Then maybe write a super rough essay or something for them just to get used to writing ideas down about the books. then I would leave them for a while and wait a few weeks to go back to them with fresh eyes (and enjoy your holidays in the meantime )