Writing Course
Years 9 and 10

The Australian curriculum achievement standards for Year 9 targeted in this course include:

By the end of Year 9, students listen to and create literary texts. They select and experiment with text structures to organise and develop ideas. They select and experiment with language features including literary devices, and features of voice.

They read, view and comprehend a range of texts created to inform, influence and/or engage audiences. They analyse representations of people, places, events and concepts, and how texts respond to contexts. They analyse the aesthetic qualities of texts. They analyse the effects of text structures, and language features including literary devices.

They create written literary texts for a range of purposes and audiences, expressing and expanding ideas, shaping meaning and providing substantiation. They select and experiment with text structures to organise, develop and link ideas. They select and experiment with language features including literary devices.

The Australian curriculum achievement standards for Year 10 targeted in this course include:

By the end of Year 10, students listen to and create literary texts. They select and experiment with text structures to organise and develop ideas. They select, vary and experiment with language features including rhetorical and literary devices, and experiment with features of voice.

They read, view and comprehend a range of texts created to inform, influence and engage audiences. They analyse and evaluate representations of people, places, events and concepts, and how interpretations of these may be influenced by readers and viewers. They analyse the effects of text structures, and language features including literary devices, intertextual connections, and their contribution to the aesthetic qualities of texts.

They create written literary texts for a range of purposes and audiences, expressing ideas and representations, making connections and providing substantiation. They select and experiment with text structures to organise, develop and link ideas and representations. They select, vary and experiment with language features including literary devices.

Words are the building blocks of literacy. Without the right words, students cannot think or articulate their ideas. Therefore the lesson sequence in Unit 1 is:

1. What is a literary device? Understand that literary devices in writing are like the special effects in movies. They are devices - things - that do something.
2. Access the TeacherTalk curriculum-aligned Glossary Of Literary Devices with definitions, examples, and simple English codes we call Eng-Codes®. True to our commitment to teach English equitably, our glossary comprehensively lists the literary devices that the A-grade students know and work with.
3. Learn to Eng-Code® a text with literary devices to make learning visible.
4. Extract language and literary devices from a classroom text, create a topic-specific language journal, and develop vocabulary.
5. Transform published language to make it your own.

Students gather vocabulary from their classroom texts and learn how to use this language to excel in academic writing. These skills transfer to life beyond the classroom, preparing students to communicate with confidence in any situation.

The Australian curriculum is clear: a narrative is a story about a character who experiences a problem and resolves it in a way that makes a point and stimulates a response from the reader. In a narrative, the author's (or student's) message is heard at the end. Therefore, the teaching sequence in Unit 2 is:

1. What is a narrative? Let's unpack the curriculum definition.
2. Gather plot ideas from literature and life.
3. Plan a powerful narrative using our curriculum-aligned scaffold that focuses students on the resolution - because that's where writers make their point.
4. Cast compelling characters and portray them using literary devices.
5. Scout for symbolic settings and portray them using literary devices.
6. Draft, mark & edit for success using the TeacherTalk student-friendly marking guide.

Each of these include a short sequence of lessons, tips to overcome common challenges, examples of successful student work, and plenty of practice, extension and analysis activities.

Beware! As your students learn to retell and adapt the stories they read by casting new characters, you may discover yourself cast as a hero ... or a villain ... in their stories. Enjoy!

We're continually growing our resources. This unit is under construction and coming soon!