The transition from primary to secondary school involves a significant leap in the English curriculum. Students go from writing stories (creating) to writing about stories (analysing), with literary analysis a critical skill for Year 11/12 ATAR English.

The High School Writing for Year 6 program introduces gifted and talented students to literary analysis techniques.

Students deepen their understanding by analysing classic texts by Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, George Orwell and Agatha Christie, before learning to write a literary essay.

Students also write creative texts using the style and techniques of classic authors. Students enter high school years ahead of their peers, building an outstanding foundation for success.

Topics covered include:

•     Literary techniques such as allusion, foreshadowing, imagery and symbolism
•     Identifying author’s purpose
•     Literary context – time, place and societal values
•     Annotating a literary text
•     Writing a literary analysis essay
•     Introduction to Shakespeare – Romeo & Juliet and Richard the Third
•     The Art of Rhetoric – Churchill, Lincoln, Queen Elizabeth I and Martin Luther King Jr.
•     The Greek Classics – The Iliad by Homer and The Aeneid by Virgil