Secondary Lessons

Guide for Parents and Students

If you’re studying HSC English Advanced – you’ve come to the right place! At Schooling Online, we understand that HSC English can be challenging, especially because it’s a compulsory subject. 
Don’t worry, we’re here to help! Our animated videos will guide you through the Advanced Module B: Critical Study of Literature rubric with the help of engaging explanations and entertaining illustrations. We’ll develop your deep understanding of the rubric by covering its key ideas, complex vocabulary and prescribed texts. 

Soon enough, you’ll improve your ability to answer unseen questions and write extended responses that stand out from the crowd. It’s easy when our videos are always at your fingertips!

Breaking Down the Advanced Module B Rubric

First, check out our unique two-part series that breaks down the Advanced Module B rubric in detail. We present the rubric’s key terms and requirements via a spine-tingling tour through the haunted ‘Mod B Mansion’. You’ll meet ghostly authors like Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Shakespeare who’ll offer advice on how to develop a rich interpretation of literature. Our detailed lessons give you the confidence to apply the rubric to any prescribed text in Module B. 

Our two-part series on the rubric covers:
1.    What is a critical study?
2.    The purpose of a critical study of literature
3.    Developing an ‘informed and personal response’ to a text
4.    Understanding textual integrity
5.    How to write with a sense of authority (with example!)
6.    What makes a text ‘distinctive’ and ‘significant’?
7.    Understanding textual form, structure and language features
8.    How to do additional research and reading
9.    How to include your additional research in your responses (with example!)
10.    Linking context to meaning in a text
11.    Exploring ideas in texts (example included!)
12.    Composing responses in Module B

We break down the rubric, sentence by sentence, to make it easier to understand this challenging module. Since understanding the rubric is vital to your success in Module B, our two-part rubric series is your secret weapon! 

Understanding Prescribed Texts

We also offer lessons that explore the prescribed texts for Advanced Module B. These videos focus on the syllabus content, which will help you develop sophisticated arguments in your responses. We’ll guide you through a detailed analysis of the text’s ideas, language forms and features, with reference to context and notions of textual integrity. You’ll love our clear explanations and helpful tips for composing extended responses in Module B!

How to get the most out of our videos:

1. Before you start studying the module at school 

Start your HSC year strong! Why not watch our lessons during the holidays or a few weeks before covering the module in class? 

We’ll take you through the rubric step-by-step, introducing you to the key ideas and terminology. We offer you practical insight into how a critical study works. As you watch our videos for the first time, jot down notes or create a visual mind-map to refer to at school. You’ll find our definitions of key terms and exemplar paragraphs especially helpful!

2. While your class is studying the module 

Watch our lessons one by one as your class covers the module. Use our lessons to enhance your understanding of the rubric before reading and analysing your prescribed text. This will help you stay on track and work through your text more efficiently.

Once you start studying your prescribed text, watch our videos to understand its contexts, plotline (if applicable), themes, values and key textual evidence. We clearly relate each prescribed text to key ideas in the Advanced Module B rubric. 

We want you to study the module at your own pace, so feel free to replay challenging sections and skip parts that you already understand. By viewing and reviewing our lessons on a regular basis, you’ll improve your understanding of complex concepts, like ‘textual integrity’. Draw on this knowledge as you critically analyse your prescribed text and develop your own ideas. 

As you watch each lesson, write down notes that could be valuable for your schoolwork and future assessments. Remember, you can always re-watch any of our videos to help you master Module B! 

3. When preparing for an assessment

Watch our videos before assessments to refine your understanding of the module. You can revise the whole rubric to find fresh inspiration and sharpen your critical insight into your text. Otherwise, you can re-watch specific videos to fill in any gaps in your knowledge. Maybe you could revise with some classmates and discuss the major ideas and techniques in your texts. Soon enough, you will feel confident to tackle all your school assessments... and the big HSC exam itself!

 
Guide for Educators

Teaching the HSC English Advanced modules can be challenging, even frustrating, due to the lack of up-to-date materials. At Schooling Online, we recognise the need for practical, research-based teaching resources that target each module in the HSC English Advanced course. 

Our videos support what you do in the classroom by presenting vital syllabus content in brief, engaging episodes. We also offer a Teacher Resource Pack full of professionally designed, ready-to-use resources. All of our resources are written by a qualified and experienced Secondary English teachers. The Thinking Routines in each Resource Pack are customised to each video and will facilitate conceptual engagement with the rubrics and prescribed texts. 

Our fun yet focussed approach also supports students who often feel overwhelmed as they commence the HSC English Advanced course. Schooling Online acknowledges the heightened wellbeing needs of Stage 6 students. Our videos are another tool you can use to support your students in their coursework and assessment preparation.

Our videos create opportunities for active learning in a classroom environment. We take the hard work out of learning by explaining concepts in a clear, structured and engaging way. This effective approach caters to a broad range of learners. Students that struggle with interpreting and analysing texts will gain confidence and new skills, while higher-level students can consolidate their understanding and excel.

We encourage you to integrate our videos and resources into your teaching plan. Our videos are based on the NESA Stage 6 Syllabus requirements for English Advanced, English Standard and English Studies. Sign up your school with Schooling Online today and take advantage of our full suite of lessons and customised teaching resources. 

Breaking Down Advanced Module B

Over two lessons, we unpack every element of the Advanced Module B rubric. We know that students struggle to absorb this complex rubric the first (and even second) time around, so we’ve extracted the key points for them.  

Over two lessons we’ll cover:
1.    What is a critical study?
2.    The purpose of a critical study of literature
3.    Developing an ‘informed and personal response’ to a text
4.    Understanding textual integrity
5.    How to write with a sense of authority (exemplar included)
6.    What makes a text ‘distinctive’ and ‘significant’?
7.    Understanding textual form, structure and language features
8.    How to do additional research and reading
9.    How to include your additional research in your responses (exemplar included)
10.    Linking context to meaning in a text
11.    Exploring ideas in texts (exemplar included)
12.    Composing responses in Module B

The critical study of literature is often a daunting experience for students. To help counteract this, we have presented the Module B rubric as a fun adventure through the haunted ‘Mod B Mansion’. Using this unique and engaging setting, we guide students through each aspect of the rubric, providing useful examples and easy explanations as we go. Our aim is to give students a strong working knowledge of the rubric so they can apply it to their prescribed text and respond with confidence.

Understanding Prescribed Texts

We also offer lessons that explore the prescribed texts for the module. These videos draw on the syllabus content, which will prepare your students to develop sophisticated arguments in their essays. These valuable lessons cover the context, plotlines (where applicable), themes, values and key textual evidence in each prescribed text. 

How to get the most out of our videos:

1. Introducing students to the module

Students may be daunted when they first read the rubric and realise how detailed a critical study is. Why not give your students an overview of the rubric and key ideas by showing our videos in class?

The videos explain each element of the rubric in detail and demonstrate its application through practical examples. For example, in Lesson 1, we offer an example of how to write about T.S. Eliot’s poetry a sense of authority. This demonstrates to students the kind of precision and sophistication they are working towards. In that same lesson, we provide another exemplar paragraph about the key ideas in T.S. Eliot’s poetry and what makes his work significant. In Lesson 2, we show students how to insert a scholarly reference into a paragraph on Jane Austen’s ‘Great Expectations’.

We don’t assume that students remember all the metalanguage in English. That’s a lot to remember! We define all the techniques and important terms we use in our lessons, so students don’t feel lost or too embarrassed to ask, ‘what does that mean?’ We clarify metalanguage as we go so your students can focus their energy on more challenging concepts.

Our videos also give you full flexibility. You can introduce students to the module by watching our breakdown of the rubric in class. This will pique students’ interest and establish the overarching goals for the module. Students can also watch the videos for homework to consolidate their understanding. It’s so easy when our videos are a click away!

2. Supporting students as they study a text 

At Schooling Online, we want your students to become confident, independent learners and thinkers. That’s why our videos model and teach analytical skills in addition to explaining concepts. We recognise the need for students to develop their unique insights into a text, so we’re offering useful resources that support students in studying their prescribed texts. 

Every video is appropriate for watching in class or as an extra resource for students to use at home. We encourage students to develop their own rich interpretation of a text and avoid being passive consumers of literature. Our discussion of context in Lesson 2 of the Advanced Module B rubric series reinforces this idea to help students be more aware of the way their own context influences their response to texts. 

Turn your classroom into an interactive environment by incorporating our customised teaching resources. They will rise to the challenge of higher-order thinking, collaboration, creativity and self-reflection.

Alternatively, the class could watch each video in short segments. Pause the video at the beginning or end of each key section and open a small group discussion. For example, after viewing the ‘Gatekeeper’s’ definition of a critical study in Lesson 1 of the Advanced Module B rubric series, ask students to do a quick brainstorm in small groups. Each small group lists the key words spoken by the Gatekeeper, e.g. ‘rich understanding’, ‘content’ and ‘context’, and provides additional definitions of these terms in their own words. This can form the basis of a robust discussion and exchange of ideas among the entire class.

3. Use our videos for internal and external assessment preparation

Do your students stress out when you remind them of an upcoming assessment? Make the task more enjoyable by using our videos! Play our videos when revising over content in class. You may also assign videos for students to review at home in preparation for an assessment, especially in the lead-up to trial or HSC exams.

The detailed analysis in our videos can be used as building blocks for paragraphs in critical responses. Our lesson content could also be used as stimulus for imaginative or discursive responses. The style of narration in our videos, which includes puns, quips, rhetorical questions and colloquial language, is a good example of discursive writing! In addition to studying the content of our videos, your students could also analyse how we make our videos more engaging through discursive devices. 

Our videos also encourage self-reflection. You could set short, reflective writing tasks after viewing our videos. Students will find it useful to practise reflective writing and chronicle their personal journey towards deeper understanding of the rubric and prescribed texts. They may also wish to reflect on how their ideas and language use have developed by studying English Advanced Module B.

As trial or HSC exams approach, feel free to use our videos as resources for the following sample activities:
•    Discuss the videos that break down the rubric to prepare students for questions in Paper 2
•    Discuss the videos on the prescribed texts to revise context, themes and values, and key textual evidence
•    Compose critical, discursive and creative responses that build on ideas presented in any of our videos