Overview of the Accelerated Program for Year 6 to 9 English EAL Program
Fundamentals of Academic English is an accelerated program that prepares high school students for VCE English and EAL. This is an intensive program designed to prepare students for studies in VCE and IB English. The course focuses on academic conventions, strategies and skills. The curriculum includes academic style writing, discussion and debate, critical thinking, research projects, report and essay writing, lecture note taking and presentation strategies.
The program has two streams, each stream covering two semesters. The Beginner Stream is designed for years 7 and 8 students. Its focus is to build competency around the three interrelated strands of language, literature and literacy. The Intermediate Stream is designed for year 9 and 10 students. It covers much of technical, analytical and linguistic content that is typically found in VCE English and English Language Units 1 and 2. The program borrows heavily from the VCE English and VCE Literature reading lists and challenge students across the entire spectrum of reading comprehension, writing for specific audiences, active listening and public speaking.
There are two semesters in each stream which covers a full year of content and is heavily influence by the VCE English and English Language study design. The program will develop skills and competencies including text response, creative writing, comparative text analysis, language analysis, effective use of literary devices and presenting argument. Students will be equipped with the quintessential skills and tools they need to excel in their school assessments in the lead up to their VCE studies.