Over the six years of their studies in English at Pioneer State High School, students engage in a range of texts and contexts for a range of personal, social, cultural, critical, imaginative and aesthetic purposes. These are designed to enable them to become confident, autonomous, effective users of language not only within the school, but also in their wider world.
Student involvement in English is supported by enrichment, extension and extra-curricular activities such as debating, visits and presentations by writers and artists, our annual involvement in the Whitsunday Voices Youth Literature Festival and participation in a range of state and national English competitions.
Junior Secondary Curriculum
Pioneer is currently implementing the Australian Curriculum in English into the middle school. 'The English curriculum is built around the three interrelated strands of Language, Literature and Literacy. Teaching and learning programs balance and integrate all three strands. Together the strands focus on developing students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating.' (p2 Unit One C2C Year Eight English).
Senior Secondary Curriculum
At the start of Year 11 students will choose whether to take Authority English or Authority-registered English Communication.
Senior English is an Authority subject. Authority subjects are based on syllabuses that have been approved and issued by the QSA. Results in Authority subjects can count in the calculation of OPs and FPs, the most common selection devices used to gain entry into tertiary education in Queensland.
In Senior English students will learn to:
communicate effectively in Standard Australian English for a range of social and cultural purposes and audiences
enjoy and appreciate a range of texts, including Australian texts;
study closely a range of literary and non-literary works in English, in various types of texts, modes and mediums across diverse cultures and periods
interpret, analyse, evaluate, respond to and create a wide range of texts through reading, listening, viewing, speaking, writing and designing
make choices about generic structures, language, textual features and technologies to best convey intended meaning in the most appropriate medium and genre
control language (written, spoken/signed and visual) using grammar, punctuation, vocabulary and spelling.
English Communication is an Authority-registered subject, developed from Study Area Specifications (SASs). This subject includes substantial vocational and practical components. Results in this subject are not used in the calculation of OPs and FPs. It is expected that students who do English Communication will be seeking an entry into TAFE or a vocation.
In English Communication students will learn to:
make meanings in and of everyday, mass media and literary texts understanding the influence of cultural contexts and social situations
develop abilities in speaking (signing), listening, reading, viewing, writing and shaping practices, responsive to and effective in diverse social contexts
become confident, effective and critical users of texts and language, making judgments to accept or challenge meanings.