TALKING POINTS: Memorized essays betray a lack of confidence and an unwillingness to commit to authentic answers. Examiners have always advised students to prepare ‘talking points’ instead - a selection of ideas that they can draw on and which convey solid analysis and interpretation of the text. These talking points can be used by teachers, to focus discussion on higher-level or less-noticed features of the text and context. They also form effective student revision materials for formal assessment. Each point is supported by a piece of evidence from the text, and there are sufficient points to generate solid responses to almost any essay question. The Talking Points also model how students can articulate more complex thoughts about the text, and adduce evidence in natural and well-integrated writing. SAMPLE ESSAY: This is a three-part resource for students undertaking the NSW HSC Standard English Module A: Language, Identity and Culture. A generic essay plan shows students how to compose an essay suitable for Stage 6, progressing them from the simpler PEEL/TEAL models of Stage 4 and 5. A sample essay for the prescribed text, One Night the Moon, answers a sample question for this module. There is also a second copy of the essay, marked up to show how it follows the plan, and with five short questions which require students to engage critically with the essay and its form.

TALKING POINTS: Memorized essays betray a lack of confidence and an unwillingness to commit to authentic answers. Examiners have always advised students to prepare ‘talking points’ instead - a selection of ideas that they can draw on and which convey solid analysis and interpretation of the text. These talking points can be used by teachers, to focus discussion on higher-level or less-noticed features of the text and context. They also form effective student revision materials for formal assessment. Each point is supported by a piece of evidence from the text, and there are sufficient points to generate solid responses to almost any essay question. The Talking Points also model how students can articulate more complex thoughts about the text, and adduce evidence in natural and well-integrated writing. SAMPLE ESSAY: This is a three-part resource for students undertaking the NSW HSC Advanced English Module A: Textual Conversations. A generic essay plan shows students how to compose an essay suitable for Stage 6, progressing them from the simpler PEEL/TEAL models of Stage 4 and 5. A sample essay for the prescribed text-pairing The Tempest and Hag-Seed, answers the 2019 HSC question: Everything is being dismantled, reconstructed, recycled. To what end? For what purpose? To what extent is this true of the texts you have studied for this module? There is also a second copy of the essay, marked up to show how it follows the plan, and with five short questions which require students to engage critically with the essay and its form.

TALKING POINTS: Memorized essays betray a lack of confidence and an unwillingness to commit to authentic answers. Examiners have always advised students to prepare ‘talking points’ instead - a selection of ideas that they can draw on and which convey solid analysis and interpretation of the text. These talking points can be used by teachers, to focus discussion on higher-level or less-noticed features of the text and context. They also form effective student revision materials for formal assessment. Each point is supported by a piece of evidence from the text, and there are sufficient points to generate solid responses to almost any essay question. The Talking Points also model how students can articulate more complex thoughts about the text, and adduce evidence in natural and well-integrated writing. SAMPLE ESSAY: This is a three-part resource for students undertaking the NSW HSC Common Module: Texts and Human Experiences A generic essay plan shows students how to compose an essay suitable for Stage 6, progressing them from the simpler PEEL/TEAL models of Stage 4 and 5. A sample essay for the prescribed text, Past the Shallows, answers a sample question for this module. There is also a second copy of the essay, marked up to show how it follows the plan, and with five short questions which require students to engage critically with the essay and its form.

Shakespeare’s tragedy about race and manipulation is an established favourite for senior students. Ten senior-level essay questions offer a choice of arguments about character, theme, language, and context, and a sample essay responds to the question: The existence of an Outsider is one of the most enduring narratives that shape our world. We need outsiders to help us define ourselves – and if they don’t exist, we create them.’ How is this the case for Othello?’

Fitzgerald’s novel about ‘careless people’ and avarice in the modern era is an established favourite for senior students. Ten senior-level essay questions offer a choice of arguments about character, theme, language, and context, and a sample essay discusses whether we can think of the novel as a tragedy.

TALKING POINTS: Memorized essays betray a lack of confidence and an unwillingness to commit to authentic answers. Examiners have always advised students to prepare ‘talking points’ instead - a selection of ideas that they can draw on and which convey solid analysis and interpretation of the text. These talking points can be used by teachers, to focus discussion on higher-level or less-noticed features of the text and context. They also form effective student revision materials for formal assessment. Each point is supported by a piece of evidence from the text, and there are sufficient points to generate solid responses to almost any essay question. The Talking Points also model how students can articulate more complex thoughts about the text, and adduce evidence in natural and well-integrated writing. SAMPLE ESSAY: This is a three-part resource for students undertaking the NSW HSC Standard English Module B: Close Study of a Text. A generic essay plan shows students how to compose an essay suitable for Stage 6, progressing them from the simpler PEEL/TEAL models of Stage 4 and 5. A sample essay for the prescribed text, Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, answers the 2019 HSC question: Literature reinforces or challenges our understanding of ordinary situations. Discuss this statement, making detailed reference to your prescribed text.

Shakespeare’s tragedy about race and manipulation is an established favourite for senior students. Since the bulk of English literature units focus on close textual analysis, the ability to perform ‘close readings’ is essential for students of literature. This handout provides a a brief, student-friendly explanation of what a close reading actually is and how to perform it, followed by a sample close reading of the opening passage.

Wilde’s Gothic novel about vanity and perdition is an established favourite for senior students. Ten senior-level essay questions offer a choice of arguments about character, theme, language, and context, and a sample essay responds to the question: ‘It is only the sacred things that are worth touching.’ How does Wilde’s novel explore this idea?

Shakespeare’s tragedy about madness and ambition is an established favourite for senior students. Ten senior-level essay questions offer a choice of arguments about character, theme, language, and context, and a sample essay responds to the question: I dare do all that may become a man. Who dares do more is none. How are ideas of manly behaviour presented in the play?

HSC Module C: The Craft of Writing offers students complex texts from which to draw for their own writing. Because of their complex construction and ideas, students can be at a loss for ‘ways in’ to the text, and teachers can often struggle to break down these complex texts in the time available. Along with the complete text of the story, this product contains questions and handouts for Franz Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis’. It is designed to be taught over 3-6 lessons, and includes an introduction to absurdism, and to discursive writing, as well as questions which require students to write imaginatively and discursively.

‘Ecopoetry is nature poetry that has designs on us, that imagines changing the ways we think, feel about, and live and act in the world.’ This unit introduces students to ecopoetry and illustrates the difference between traditional nature poetry and poetry which responds to the Climate Crisis. It contains activities on: Pollution The Anthropocene Deforestation Flood Drought Species extinction Post-Human Worlds Each section comprises an introductory discussion, a selected poem about the issue with questions and creative writing activities, a list of poems to use as companion pieces, and links to further information about the issue which can be used for comprehension and discussion. This unit has been tested with a mixed-ability Year 10 group (age 15).

This eight-section unit written for Years 8-9 (ages 13-15) focuses explicitly on poetic techniques and elements of poetry. It can be taught as a complete unit over a term, or in sections complementing a wider study of rhetorical and poetic devices. The unit comprises sections on rhyme and rhythm, personification, imagery, epithet, theme (cats and men; modern life); symbolism, and form (acrostic poetry). Each section can be bought separately. Each section includes: one page-explanation of the device or technique at least two poems for easy differentiation writing tasks for each poem following Bloom’s Taxonomy of lower- to higher-order questions And there’s a free summative assessment in short answers format!

This 54-page unit, written for Years 7-8 (ages 11-13) offers beginning high school students an introduction to genre, focusing on Andy Milligan’s adventure novel Trash. It comprises: an introduction to genre and the conventions of the adventure genre five sections on Trash with reading comprehension questions activities on the foundational elements of narrative (character, setting, conflict, plot, and voice). These activities ask students to identify the narrative element in the novel and write short examples of their own an exclusive short adventure story for reading extension or differentiation a two-part assessment task where students identify conventions in an unseen passage, then write creatively in the genre

Mark Haddon’s popular novel about an unusual young man with a flair for Maths and a drive to know who killed his neighbour’s dog has been one of the most surprising crossover books of the last 30 years. This 52-page unit of work has been tested successfully with a mixed-ability class: It divides the novel into eight substantial sections for convenient planning across a term Over 100 questions offer a blend of higher-order thinking skills and personal reflective tasks provides a contextual discussion for each section, drawing out concepts and ideas such as the brain and cognition; logic and language; individuality and disability; imagination, and alternative world. Extension exercises allow stronger students to stretch their knowledge and thinking with philosophical tasks A two-question analytical assessment task asks students to consider theme and voice in a nominated chapter The unit can be printed for students who prefer hard copy, or presented digitally.

This extensive set (21 pages) of student worksheets breaks Campion’s biopic of John Keats into four sections for easy viewing in class. It contains 44 high-order thinking questions which require students to engage with the text-as-film, and to consider it as Campion’s own reading of Keats’ poetry. A final question asks them to write at length evaluating Campion’s presentation of Keats’ poetry and his relationship with Fanny Brawne.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s famous short story broke new ground in both topic and style and is a great vehicle to introduce senior students to more sophisticated ways of analysing and evaluating texts. This 38-page resource comprises A copy of the text, in numbered sections for easy reference Questions for the story which follow Bloom’s Taxonomy of lower-to-higher order tasks A handout on different schools of theory and how they have viewed Gilman’s story, with an accompanying reading and analysis task A longer extract from the first academic article about ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’, which gets students to read academic prose, and consider formation and challenges to argument A discussion of related texts which also respond to similar ideas and themes, and a sample poem by William Carlos Williams which students can compare to Gilman’s story. A 2-page bibliography of poems, short stories, and films from which students can select their own related text A choice of six engaging creative tasks

Huxley’s famous dystopian novel is a fantastic choice for senior fiction studies. This 75-page unit of work has been tested successfully with a mixed-ability Year 11 (age 16-17) class. It focuses oin textual analysis and engagement with questions of social and political philosophy. There is a comprehensive, illustrated introduction to issues of industrialisation, sexual freedom, and political authoritarianism which affected Huxley’s world and continue to affect us. There are 80+ writing tasks of different lengths and types, which allow teachers to differentiate for a mixed-ability group. Each 3-chapter section is accompanied by an extension reading which engages with the relevant philosophical topic. Readings range from Hobbes and Rousseau on human nature to Admiral Moreel on bread and circuses. The unit can be printed for students who prefer hard copy, or presented digitally. Ten essay questions suitable for senior high schoolers can be used as the basis of assessment.

This short unit of work for students in the final year of primary or first years of middle school accompanies Guus Kuijer’s short novel ‘The Book of Everything’. Chapter by chapter questions provide activities which will allow students to read, research, and discuss issues such as childhood fear, WWII and its aftermath, religious intolerance, and parental anger. A great modern short novel to accompany works like The Diary of Anne Frank, and with a male protagonist, provides a reading experience which will draw in boys too. The unit of work concludes with a short assessment task and accompanying criteria for easy marking.