Language Faculty

At Southport High, students experience of English is guided by their interests and abilities. Students have opportunities to extend themselves or seek further assistance in developing the skills they require for success. We also have opportunities for students to participate in Debating and Public Speaking Competitions to develop their speaking and performance skills.

Junior English

The Junior English program addresses essential learning in literacy, media awareness and problem solving processes as well as personal and inter-personal communication. The program is sequential with a strong emphasis on literacy skills.

Year 8 and 9
Students have the opportunity to participate in our PACE program via invitation and nomination for students who require extension of their abilities and talents OR our GATEWAY program via nomination and invitation, which is a modified program for students who require greater assistance and time to develop the skills they will require for success in English. Both of these classes are fluid and require review at the end of each semester based on student progress and participation.

Year 10
Students have the opportunity to participate in our CONSOLIDATION program in Semester 2 via invitation and nomination. This is a modified program which is tailored for students who are choosing English Communication in their Senior study program. Students who will be choosing Authority English in their Senior study program will continue their Year 10 English program in preparation for this.

Senior English

Authority English
This subject is designed for students who are OP students intending to attend university when they finish their High School Education. It is an academic subject and therefore requires in depth study of texts and language. Experience has shown that students who do not achieve a Sound Level of Achievement in Junior English will find it incredibly difficult to attain a pass in Authority English.

Students who do not attain a sound achievement in Junior English must provide written evidence with their subject selection forms that demonstrate their ability to improve their results, as well as make an appointment with the HOD of English to discuss the work required.

If students are having difficulties in Junior English and are not achieving a sound achievement, they should choose English Communication. Authority English is an academic course aimed at students intending to continue with tertiary study.

This course involves a significant amount of reading, writing and speaking as well as independent learning and independently negotiated tasks. It is also expected that students will devise a regular study routine, as Authority English requires a significant amount of study, homework and assessment preparation.

English Extension (Literature)
The English Extension (Literature) course is not offered every year due to the nature of the course and the students who would choose this subject. When offered, it is only offered in Year 12 as it is a ONE year course of study. It therefore requires students to choose English Extension (Literature) in place of one of the OP subjects they studied in Year 11. Due to the nature of the course, English Extension (Literature) is also only offered offline and students and their teacher negotiate lesson times outside of Senior school hours.

English Extension (Literature) focuses on the literary theory that underpins the parent subject, Authority English. Students will engage with a variety of Literary Theory Texts and Authors such as Derrida, Barthe, Foucault and Satre.

English Extension (Literature) is an academic subject and therefore requires in depth study of theorists, texts and language. This is an extremely demanding course of study. Prerequisites include a minimum of a high HA in Year 11 Authority English, an invitation from the HOD and the successful completion of an entrance exam. Experience has shown that students who do not achieve this level of achievement in Year 11 will find it incredibly difficult to complete all class, home and assessment work in English Extension.

English Communication
This subject is designed for students who are not OP students intending to attend university when they finish their High School Education. While English Communication is not an academic subject, it requires commitment from students, as it involves a significant amount of group work and independently negotiated assessment. The emphasis of English Communication is on life roles, such as those related to work, personal and community life, leisure and recreation. It has a strong focus on skills that are necessary for the workplace and are related to real life experiences.

If you are having difficulties in Year 10 English or are not achieving a sound achievement in Junior English, then English Communication should be chosen instead of Authority English, which requires a sound achievement or above.

English Communication aims to give students the skills necessary to prepare for life beyond school and relies on real life experiences and issues to inform the units studied. The program places greater emphasis on the practical rather than the theoretical and on experiential skills and knowledge. The workload for English Communication is substantial. It consists of the completion of various assessment items for modules as well as ensuring competency is maintained in various areas. This is a ‘hands on’ subject that requires students to commit time to various tasks rather than the study commitment required of Authority subjects.

LOTE

Junior Japanese
Languages other than English (LOTE) are a means of communicating across cultures and promoting socio-cultural understanding and competence. Languages prepare learners for meaningful, productive lives in a culturally and linguistically diverse society and world and help learners relate positively to the richness of human diversity.

Second language learning develops communication skills and cognitive flexibility and development. This is enhanced as students need to monitor their thinking more consciously to make the mind shift required for communicating in a different language.

It is particularly beneficial to English language and literacy development for students to learn about an alternative linguistic system and be able to make explicit comparisons between languages. This means that students are better able to solve problems, to think logically and to express themselves with clarity.

It is strongly advised that all students LOTE (Japanese) for at least one semester of their course in Year 8. Students may then elect to study LOTE (Japanese) in Year 9 and/or 10 and continue their study.

Students studying Japanese have the opportunity to participate in a culture and language trip to Japanese to practise their language skills and see the sights of the country. This excursion takes place every two years to allow students to participate in this unique learning opportunity.

Senior Japanese
The study of Japanese in Senior entails the development of language proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in Standard Japanese. Japanese is an OP subject and therefore a minimum of a Sound Achievement in Year 10 Japanese is required.

Japanese is a two-year progressive course developing the four different language skills – listening, speaking, reading and writing plus cultural knowledge components. Students will study written and spoken language in a variety of topics and situations using texts, authentic and modified materials such as magazines, newspapers, novels, videos, films, audio cassettes, via computer programs, excursions and guest speakers.

Students studying Japanese have the opportunity to participate in a culture and language trip to Japanese to practise their language skills and see the sights of the country. This excursion takes place every two years to allow students to participate in this unique learning opportunity.