Connecting to Learning in the DP: Language & Literature
YEAR 12
Students have been busy revising for their final exam. Last term we explored a range of text types to prepare for whatever surprises the exam might throw our way.
To keep things exciting, we have been testing students with a barrage of weird and interesting texts. We have critically pulled apart Clive Palmer’s eye-burningly designed misinformation blitz, taken fashion advice from 1970s Dolly fashion magazines, delved into the outrage of The Australian’s comment section in reaction to The Wiggles’ new ‘woke’ line-up, wrote one-star film reviews and, finally, sent some constructive feedback to Scott Morrison and local MPs on issues students are passionate about. Both analysing and creating a range of texts - exploring how authors use language and visuals to achieve a purpose - is the best combination of strategies to truly understand how texts are constructed.
We wish our Year 12s all the best in their final preparation for exams over the coming weeks!
YEAR 11
In Term 3, students plunged headfirst into Literature (with a capital L).
We began with a literary analysis of Yoko Tawada’s surreal, dystopian fever-dream, The Last Children of Tokyo, making connections to global issues such as isolationism, climate crisis, materialism, and an ageing population. Students were encouraged to tie in their own works, such as the film Snowpiercer, the writing of journalist George Monbiot, Greta Thunberg’s speeches, and the stunning documentary Anthropocene.
Our most recent unit has explored how satire seeks to interact with the world, considering how the genre has been used over a range of time periods and in different ways.
We have used Jonathan Swift’s 18th Century classic, A Modest Proposal, in which he advocates for the eating of impoverished children as a solution to Ireland’s political and economic crisis, as a gateway into the genre. Exploring Menippean, Juvenallian and Horatian satire, we have also looked at how the genre has developed in contemporary films, Betoota Advocate articles, political cartoons and sketch comedy.
Cat Pacitti & Chris McDuff
teachers of DP Language & Literature