ESL A/T
This course is appropriate for nonâEnglish speaking background students, who have spent less than seven years in an Australian or English language school. The course is an suitable alternative to English for students wishing to obtain the ACT Senior Secondary certificate. Whilst the content is similar in both ESL T and ESL A, the assessment tasks have a more academic focus in the ESL T units.
Each senior secondary English subject draws upon, develops and emphasises different knowledge, understanding, skills and processes related to the strands of Language, Literature and Literacy used in the Foundation to Year 10 curriculum. While students encounter, respond to, analyse and create a wide range of literary texts in ESL, the focus of the units is on language learning and the development of oral language and literacy skills in Standard Australian English (SAE).
Course Patterns
The units are sequential, although variations may be considered. To allow flexibility of entry and exit for students, all units are divided into 0.5 value units.
Minor 2 units
Major 3.5 or 4 units
Unit1: Language and Culture
Unit 1 focuses on investigating how language and culture are interrelated and expressed in a range of contexts. The unit will enhance students’ confidence in creating texts for different purposes and across all language modes in both real and imagined contexts. It will broaden their understanding of the sociocultural and sociolinguistic elements of SAE and develop skills for research and further academic study.
Unit 2: Perspectives in Texts
Unit 2 focuses on analysing and evaluating perspectives and attitudes presented in texts and creating extended texts for a range of contexts. The use of cohesive text structures and language features is developed. The unit focuses on developing planning and editing skills to create extended oral, written and multimodal texts. Strategies for collecting, analysing, organising and presenting ideas and information are refined.
Unit 3: Communication
Unit 3 focuses on analysing how language choices are used to achieve different purposes and effects in a range of contexts. The ways in which language choices shape meaning and influence audiences are explored through the study and creation of a range of oral, written and multimodal texts. Effective and independent research skills are consolidated throughout the unit.
Unit 4: Issues and Attitudes
Unit 4 focuses on analysing, evaluating and using language to represent and respond to issues, ideas and attitudes in arrange of contexts. Independent and collaborative investigation and analysis are used to explore how language and texts achieve specific purposes and effects.
Effective research strategies and referencing protocols are used to present ideas, information, conclusions, arguments and recommendations.
ESL A/T - Whilst the content is similar in both ESL T and ESL A, the assessment tasks have a more academic focus in the ESL T units.
ESL A (Bridging)
Bridging Unit 1 is designed for students who are at the Emerging phase of the ESL Foundation to Year 10 learning progression and focuses on developing communication skills in a range of contexts across the language modes of SAE.
Bridging Unit 2 is aimed at students in the late Emerging phase of the ESL Foundation to Year 10 learning progression and focuses on consolidating communication skills in a range of contexts across the language modes of SAE.
Bridging Unit 3 is aimed at students who are in the Developing phase of the ESL Foundation to Year 10 learning progression and focuses on responding to and creating extended texts in familiar contexts in SAE.
Bridging Unit 4 is aimed at students who are in the late Developing phase of the ESL Foundation to Year 10 learning progression and focuses on responding to and creating connected extended texts in personal, social, community and workplace contexts in SAE.