Learning Literacies

Prerequisites

Students wishing to select this unit must meet one of the following criteria:

• recommendation by Carey through the Learning Skills Unit
• study of English Expression in Middle School
• permission from the Senior School Head of Learning for English.

Scope of the unit

This unit is designed to support and assist students who have studied English Expression in the Middle School, and who would benefit from additional attention to the development of skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. There will be a particular focus on how to best apply these skills to learning in a range of situations. Strategies for learning to read a range of texts, for varying purposes and audiences, will be developed during this unit.

In this unit students will explore the following essential questions:

• how can I regularly monitor my understanding of a novel?
• how can I relate my personal experiences to a novel? How does this help me to understand the novel better?
• how can I convey my understanding of a text in written form and to an audience?
• what constitutes a main idea?
• what makes up a sentence?

This unit may be taken in both semesters, however, approval must be granted by the Learning Skills Unit.

Areas of study

• reading for understanding
• focusing techniques
• writing: structure, coherence and content
• preparing and presenting a sustained presentation
• development of strategies to support learning in a range of settings
• development of thinking and learning strategies
• development of memory strategies, exam preparation skills and exam techniques.

Assessment

A range of assessment tasks will be undertaken during the semester, including:

• comprehension activities
• tasks that concentrate on the process of developing ideas: essay skills
• utilising vocabulary and spelling strategies
• written tasks that require the development of an understanding of the student's own thought processes.