1. art and entertainment
2. books and literature

Year 10 English: Context / Theme Study
THIS SPORTING LIFE
In this unit, students’ reading, viewing, writing, language and literacy skills are informed by their study of the
Context. They are required to study at least one film and to read widely – print, non-print and multimodal texts –
that explore ideas and arguments associated with the selected Context.
Through their reading and exploration of the Context, students will continue to develop and consolidate their
learning in English: (1) knowing about English language; (2) understanding, appreciating, responding to, analysing
and creating literature; (3) expanding their repertoire of literacy in English usage. These are undertaken through the
processes of listening, speaking, reading, viewing and writing.
Students will read and view the selected film and other texts in order to identify, discuss and analyse ideas and
arguments associated with the selected Context. They will reflect on the ideas and arguments suggested by these
texts and explore the relationship between purpose, form, audience and language, and examine the choices made
by authors in order to construct meaning.
Through their examination of the effects of form, purpose, audience and context on the authors’ choice of structure
and language, students will draw on the knowledge gained from this study to create their own imaginative narrative
and a comparative essay in a process which includes planning, reviewing and editing.
Students will write for specified audiences and purposes and draw on their experience of exploring texts to explain
their own decisions about form, purpose, language, audience and context.
For authentication purposes, planning, drafting and re-writing are mainly undertaken mainly in class time and
developed throughout the semester.
Assessment Task: Writing – Creating and Presenting
From the list of prompts, students are to choose two for the creation of two original texts with an approximate
length of 800 words per piece of writing:
1. One imaginative narrative created in an appropriate form for a specific purpose and audience.
2. One comparative essay that argues through a position, drawing appropriately on the set film text and one or
more other texts to illustrate and support the developing point of view through comparative analysis of the texts.
For each text, students are required to compose a written explanation of decisions made in the writing process
and how these demonstrate understanding of the Context and the text(s). Approximate length per written
explanation is 150 – 200 words.
Prompts for Comparative Essay and Creative Narrative Writing
• Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all
rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence. In other words, it is war minus the shooting. (George Orwell)
• Thus so wretched is man that he would weary even without any cause for weariness... and so frivolous is he
that, though full of a thousand reasons for weariness, the least thing, such as playing billiards or hitting a ball, is
sufficient enough to amuse him. (Blaise Pascal)
• Sports do not build character. They reveal it. (Heywood Broun)
• Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold. (Joseph Chilton Pearce)
• Sports teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the rules, it teaches you to know what it feels like to win
and lose-it teaches you about life. (Billie Jean King)
• Sports is human life in microcosm. (Howard Cossell)
(Year 10 English Context Electives. © 2014 English Faculty Melbourne High School)
1
READING AND VIEWING
Content Descriptions
Language
Text structure and organisation
Compare the purposes, text structures
and language features of traditional and
contemporary texts in different media
Text structure and organisation
Evaluate the impact on audiences of
different choices in the representation of
still and moving images
Language for interaction
Understand that people’s evaluations of
texts are influenced by their value
systems, the context and the purpose and
mode of communication
Literature
Literature and context
Compare and evaluate a range of
representations of individuals and groups
in different historical, social and cultural
contexts
Responding to literature
Analyse and explain how text structures,
language features and visual features of
texts and the context in which texts are
experienced may influence audience
response
Examining literature
Identify, explain and discuss how narrative
viewpoint, structure, characterisation and
devices including analogy and satire
shape different interpretations and
responses to a text
Examining literature
Analyse and evaluate text structures and
language features of literary texts and
make relevant thematic and intertextual
connections with other texts
Examining literature
Compare and evaluate how ‘voice’ as a
literary device can be used in a range of
different types of texts such as poetry to
evoke particular emotional responses
Responding to literature
Evaluate the social, moral and ethical
positions represented in texts
Literacy
Texts in context
Analyse and evaluate how people,
cultures, places, events, objects and
concepts are represented in texts,
including media texts, through language,
structural and/or visual choices
Interpreting, analysing, evaluating
Identify and analyse implicit or explicit
values, beliefs and assumptions in texts
and how these are influenced by purposes
and likely audiences
Interpreting, analysing, evaluating
Choose a reading technique and reading
path appropriate for the type of text, to
retrieve and connect ideas within and
between texts
Interpreting, analysing, evaluating
Use comprehension strategies to compare
and contrast information within and
between texts, identifying and analysing
embedded perspectives, and evaluating
supporting evidence
WRITING
Content Descriptions
Language
Text structure and organisation
Understand how paragraphs and images
can be arranged for different purposes,
audiences, perspectives and stylistic
effects
Expressing and developing ideas
Analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of
a wide range of sentence and clause
structures as authors design and craft
texts
Expressing and developing ideas
Analyse how higher order concepts are
developed in complex texts through
language features including
nominalisation, clause combinations,
technicality and abstraction
Expressing and developing ideas
Refine vocabulary choices to discriminate
between shades of meaning, with
deliberate attention to the effect on
audiences
Expressing and developing ideas
Understand how to use knowledge of the
spelling system to spell unusual and
technical words accurately, for example
those based on uncommon Greek and
Latin roots
Text structure and organisation
Understand conventions for citing others,
and how to reference these in different
ways
Literature
Creating literature
Create literary texts that reflect an
emerging sense of personal style and
evaluate the effectiveness of these texts
Creating literature
Create literary texts with a sustained
‘voice’, selecting and adapting appropriate
text structures, literary devices, language,
auditory and visual structures and
features for a specific purpose and
intended audience
Creating literature
Create imaginative texts that make
relevant thematic and intertextual
connections with other texts
Literacy
Creating texts
Create sustained texts, including texts that
combine specific digital or media content,
for imaginative, informative, or persuasive
purposes that reflect upon challenging
and complex issues
SPEAKING & LISTENING
Content Descriptions
Language
Language variation and change
Understand that Standard Australian
English in its spoken and written forms
has a history of evolution and change and
continues to evolve
Language for interaction
Understand how language use can have
inclusive and exclusive social effects, and
can empower or disempower people
Literature
Responding to literature
Reflect on, extend, endorse or refute
others’ interpretations of and responses to
literature
Literacy
Interacting with others
Identify and explore the purposes and
effects of different text structures and
language features of spoken texts, and
use this knowledge to create purposeful
texts that inform, persuade and engage
Interacting with others
Use organisation patterns, voice and
language conventions to present a point
of view on a subject, speaking clearly,
coherently and with effect, using logic,
imagery and rhetorical devices to engage
audiences
Interacting with others
Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations,
selecting and sequencing appropriate
content and multimodal elements to
influence a course of action
Creating texts
Review, edit and refine students’ own and
others’ texts for control of content,
organisation, sentence structure,
vocabulary, and/or visual features to
achieve particular purposes and effects
Creating texts
Use a range of software, including word
processing programs, confidently, flexibly
and imaginatively to create, edit and
publish texts, considering the identified
purpose and the characteristics of the
user
For a thorough breakdown of the learning focus, strands, sub-strands and course standards, see pages 37– 46 in the
AusVELS Year 10 English Syllabus.
(Year 10 English Context Electives. © 2014 English Faculty Melbourne High School)
2
YEAR 10 ENGLISH – SEMESTER 2
CONTEXT Writing Task 1: Imaginative Writing
Student's Name: ................................................................................................... Class: ………….
Criteria
Barely meets the task
Meets some of the task
Meets most of the task
Meets the task
Content, Ideas and
Engagement
Limited or little understanding
of basic arguments and/or
ideas relevant to the Context
and presented in selected
text(s).
Some understanding of basic
arguments and/or ideas
relevant to the Context and
presented in selected text(s).
Clear understanding of
arguments and/or ideas
relevant to the Context and
presented in selected text(s).
Sophisticated understanding of
complex ideas and arguments
relevant to the Context and
presented in selected text(s).
Some evidence of ability to
draw on these in the creation
of own text that shows some
evidence of originality and
imagination.
Demonstrated ability to draw
purposefully on these in the
creation of an imaginative text
that holds some interest for the
reader.
Demonstrated ability to draw
on and develop these
creatively and imaginatively in
a highly original text that
engages the reader.
Knowledge and
understanding of the ideas
and arguments relating to
the Context and presented
in the selected text(s) to
produce an original
imaginative text that
engages readers
Little evidence of an ability to
draw on these in the creation
of own text that lacks
originality, flair and
imagination.
1–4
marks
Structure, Coherence
and Form
Coherent linking of ideas
and information
Effective use of narrative
techniques shaped
skilfully and coherently.
5–6
marks
7– 8
marks
Lacks coherent organisation
and sequential ordering of
ideas and information.
Ideas and information are
selected and ordered
adequately.
Limited or no use of narrative
techniques.
Adequate use of narrative
techniques.
Limited awareness of the form
and its stylistic features.
Adequate understanding of the
form and its stylistic features.
Achieves a well ordered text,
developing interesting ideas
Expression and
Language Mechanics
Basic expression; simple
vocabulary and sentences.
Expressiveness and
fluency.
Sentences lack structure;
appear incomplete or rambling
and rarely vary in length.
Limited vocabulary that does
not communicate strongly.
Jargon or clichés may be
present and detract from the
meaning.
Accurate control of
language mechanics.
Apt choice of vocabulary.
HD2
18 – 17
Above the standard
10.5
D1
16 – 15
D2
14 – 13
At the standard
10
Skilful use of narrative
techniques shaped coherently.
Some clear awareness of the
form with some clear attempt
at using the appropriate
stylistic features.
3
marks
Shapes content in a
recognisable form, confidently
adopting its stylistic features
appropriately.
4
marks
5
marks
Adequate expression of ideas;
some variation in vocabulary
and sentences.
Accurate expression of ideas;
challenging vocabulary and
complex sentences.
Sophisticated writing style;
precise language is used
expressively and fluently.
Most sentences are wellconstructed but have a similar
length. Includes words that
communicate clearly, but the
language lacks variety, punch
or flair.
Most sentences are wellconstructed with varied length.
Includes wide and varied
vocabulary, but occasionally
the words are used
inaccurately or seem
overdone.
All sentences are wellconstructed with varied length.
Confident use of broad, apt
and varied vocabulary.
1–2
marks
HD1
20 – 19
Develops a coherent and
logically shaped and sustained
text.
Uses and shapes narrative
techniques appropriately.
Understanding of form
and its stylistic features
1–2
marks
9 – 10
marks
3
marks
C1
12 – 11
4
marks
C2
10 – 9
S1
8–7
Below the standard
9.5
NA
• Task not undertaken
• Task not submitted or incomplete
S2
6– 5
Well below the standard
9
5
marks
L1
4
L2
3
9
BS
2–1
8.5
NA *
• Late submission
• Task redeemed
(Year 10 English Context Electives. © 2014 English Faculty Melbourne High School)
3
YEAR 10 ENGLISH – SEMESTER 2
CONTEXT Writing Task 2: Comparative Essay
Student's Name: ................................................................................................... Class: ………….
Criteria
Barely meets the task
Meets some of the task
Meets most of the task
Meets the task
Content
Limited or little understanding of
basic arguments and/or ideas
relevant to the Context and
presented in selected texts.
Some understanding of basic
arguments and/or ideas relevant
to the Context and presented in
selected texts.
Clear understanding of
arguments and/or ideas relevant
to the Context and presented in
selected texts.
Sophisticated understanding of
complex ideas and arguments
relevant to the Context and
presented in selected texts.
Demonstrates a limited or basic
knowledge of the issues in the
topic and the texts.
Demonstrates adequate
knowledge of the issues in the
topic and the texts.
Demonstrates some clear
knowledge of the issues in the
topic.
Demonstrates a perceptive
exploration of the issues in the
topic.
Draws on some textual evidence
or some aspects of the texts and
makes some basic connection
with the topic.
Selects some appropriate textual
evidence to support a developed
response. May treat texts
disproportionately or unevenly.
A close reading of two or more
texts is demonstrated through
comparative discussion of
selected textual evidence.
A close and perceptive reading
of two or more texts is
demonstrated through careful
selection and a sophisticated
comparative analysis of textual
evidence.
Knowledge and
understanding of the ideas
and arguments relating to
the Context and presented
in the selected texts
Understanding of the topic
and relevance of response
Appropriate selection and
comparative analysis of
relevant textual detail from
two set texts.
1–4
marks
Structure and coherence
Effectiveness of
introduction, main body and
conclusion.
Effective ordering of ideas
into developed and
substantiated paragraphs
supported by comparative
evidence from two texts
Coherent linking of ideas
and information.
Introduction lacks detail and
exploration of topic.
Topic sentences are lacking or
not clearly stated; offers some
support for its ideas which are
largely underdeveloped.
Evidence from two texts is very
thin and/or largely lacking; little
or no attempt to compare or
contrast evidence.
Lacks connections between
paragraphs and/or sentences
and quotations. Lacks coherent
organisation and sequential
ordering of ideas.
Conclusion is absent or lacks
conviction.
5–6
marks
Introduction is present but does
not fully explore the topic or the
make the position clear.
Topic sentences may not be
clearly evident or relate directly
to the topic; ideas tend to lack
development.
Evidence from two texts is not
adequately compared or
contrasted and often not used
well to fully illustrate the
argument.
Relevant use of
metalanguage and apt
choice of vocabulary.
Accurate control of
grammar and punctuation.
Expressiveness and
fluency.
Introduction engages with all
parts of the topic and provides a
convincing and controlled
position.
Topic sentences state the main
issues which are developed in
some detail.
Topic sentences identify and
explore the main issues for
discussion. Paragraphs are
well-controlled with substantiated
and developed arguments.
Arguments are supported with
textual evidence from two texts
with some evidence of
comparative analysis.
Appropriate evidence from two
texts are compared and
contrasted to support and
illustrate each main argument.
Coherent paragraphs, sentences
and quotations are linked and
ideas logically sequenced and
structured.
Conclusion clearly restates the
position of the argument.
Conclusion is strong and
effectively restates the position
of the argument.
3
marks
4
marks
5
marks
Simple written expression and
limited, perhaps basic, or no use
of relevant metalanguage.
Adequate written expression and
use of some relevant
metalanguage.
Expressive and fluent writing and
appropriate use of relevant
metalanguage.
Highly expressive and fluent
writing and highly appropriate
use of relevant metalanguage.
Sentences lack structure; appear
incomplete or rambling and
rarely vary in length. Uses a
limited vocabulary that does not
communicate strongly. Jargon or
clichés may be present and
detract from the meaning.
Most sentences are wellconstructed with some length
variation. Uses relevant
vocabulary to express ideas.
Some tense inconsistency.
Most sentences are wellconstructed with varied length.
Uses wide and varied
vocabulary, but occasionally the
words are either ‘commonplace’,
used inaccurately, or seem
overdone. Consistent use of
present tense.
All sentences are wellconstructed with varied length.
Uses accurate, wide and varied
vocabulary. Consistent use of
present tense.
HD2
18 – 17
Above the standard
10.5
Introduction covers the topic and
provides a clear position.
Conclusion leaves a sense of
incompleteness.
1–2
marks
HD1
20 – 19
9 – 10
marks
Paragraphs, sentences and
quotations are clearly linked with
clear sequencing and structure
of ideas.
Some clear linking of
paragraphs, sentences and
quotations; some adequate
sequencing and ordering of
ideas.
1–2
marks
Expression and language
mechanics
7–8
marks
D1
16 – 15
3
marks
D2
14 – 13
At the standard
10
C1
12 – 11
4
marks
C2
10 – 9
S1
8–7
Below the standard
9.5
NA
• Task not undertaken
• Task not submitted or incomplete
S2
6– 5
Well below the standard
9
5
marks
L1
4
L2
3
9
BS
2–1
8.5
NA *
• Late submission
• Task redeemed
(Year 10 English Context Electives. © 2014 English Faculty Melbourne High School)
4
This unit is currently under development by the course writing: Nick Fairlie (Leader), Blair Mahoney, Helen
Bekos & Kate Crossley.
The Context
THIS SPORTING LIFE
What can sport tell us about the tricky business of being human? The unit will examine sport as a metaphor for life,
and the way sport has been represented throughout time in writing.
Essential Question
• Is sport pointless or profound?
Key Questions
• For each of the following questions the main focus is on how these things have been represented in sport
writing or film, whether fictional or non-fictional
• How important is sport to national identity? (1936 Berlin Olympics, Australian Identity, national rivalries, statesponsored doping, national character reflected in sport – e.g. English losing, recriminations, All Blacks)
• Can sporting cultures migrate? (European migrants to Aus and soccer, South Asians and cricket)
• How important is sport to individual identity? (fandom – Fever Pitch, being part of a sporting club)
• How do politics and sport interact? (Colombian soccer player shot, Munich Olympics, Olympic boycotts, South
Africa rebel tours)
• What is the role of spectating in sport? (inclusiveness)
• What is the role of technology in sport? (social media - twitter, aids to performance – swimming body suits)
• What is the role of sportsmanship? (John Landy, selflessness)
• What are the downsides of a winning at all costs mentality? (drugs in sport, personal/psychological demands –
Gold, Chris Cleave, bodyline)
• What does it take to be an elite sportsperson? (sacrifices, psychology, motivation)
• What happens when a sporting career is over? (Michael Klim)
• How does perfection feature in sport? (the perfect game, Nadia Comaneci, Bradman)
• What is the role of hero worship in sport? (Warney – antihero, Ben Cousins/Wayne Carey – fallen heroes)
• What is the role of commercialism in sport? (is money ruining sport? Olympic ideal of amateurism, salary caps
and inequality)
• How does match-fixing feature in sport? (Hansie Cronje, soccer clubs, baseball Black Sox, The Natural)
• What is the role of racism in sport? (Jesse Owens, Nicky Winmar/aborigines in sport, premier league John
Terry)
• What is the role of sexism in sport? (pay differentials, media coverage)
• Why are some sports elevated over others? (why is trugo not an Olympic sport?)
• What is the role of the underdog in sport?
• What is the role of superstition in sport? (rituals, magical thinking)
• Is natural talent more important than hard work?
• What is the role of media in sport? (commentary, reportage)
General Questions
A range of activities that provide stimulus for inquiry into and exploration of the Context
• Visit the art gallery and examine artistic depictions of sport
(NGV)
• Visit sporting museum (MCG)
• Racism in sport
• Role of commercialism in sport
• Match-fixing in sport
• Technology in sport
• Hero worship in sport
• Sexism in sport
•
•
•
•
•
(Year 10 English Context Electives. © 2014 English Faculty Melbourne High School)
What is the issue?
Who is involved?
How does it impact on the sport? (players,
supporters, management)
How has the issue been represented in
sportswriting?
(newspaper,
magazines,
novels, blogs)
Is there a solution?
5
Core Text: The Natural, by Bernard Malamud
Analysing & Exploring the Text
Resources
1. Questions on the text (i.e. comprehension & interpretation re: characters, settings, language, symbols, issues, etc)
What is the role of myth in the story? Modern myths versus ancient myths?
Why does Roy strike out at his last at-bat?
What role does Pop Fisher play in the novel? Is this what you would expect of a coach?
Has sport changed much over the years since the time of The Natural?
What role does Bump play in the novel?
How does Roy’s obsession with Memo affect his performance on the field?
How does Roy cope with being a celebrity?
What is the significance of eating in the novel?
What does the novel tell us about self belief and sporting ego?
How do determinism and fatalism feature in the novel?
What is the role of Max Mercy, the reporter, in the novel? Is he merely reporting on the game or is he influencing
it?
• Is Roy a static or dynamic character?
• Is natural ability something that you can count on? How far can it take you?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
2. Activities
• Fill in a table on symbolism in the novel
• Analyse contemporary attitudes to professionalism and gambling in sport
• Compare the film version with the novel – what was changed and why?
3. Analytical Essay Topics
• Is Roy at age thirty-four any different than Roy at age nineteen?
• In The Natural, is innate ability a blessing or a curse?
• What does The Natural tell us about the corrupting influence of money on sport?
• How does The Natural present the mythical aspects of sport?
• The Natural uses sport to present the battle between good and evil. Do you agree?
• The Natural depicts the struggle between the individual and the team. Do you agree?
• How does The Natural critique the role of the hero in sport?
• What does The Natural tell us about morality in sport?
• What is Roy Hobbs’ tragic flaw?
(Year 10 English Context Electives. © 2014 English Faculty Melbourne High School)
6
Supplementary Texts – Wider Reading
Activities & Tasks (i.e. questions, tasks, scenarios, etc.)
Resources
Film Text 1
The Natural, Invictus, Chariots of Fire, Touching the Void, Hoop Dreams, Friday Night Lights (film/tv series),
Moneyball, Hoosiers, Phar Lap, Seabiscuit, Field of Dreams, Any Given Sunday, Bodyline, The Club, Fever Pitch,
Million Dollar Baby, Rocky, Raging Bull, Remember the Titans, A League of Their Own, Bull Durham, Tin Cup, The
Greatest Game Ever Played, Cool Runnings, The Wrestler, The Fighter, He Got Game, Girlfight, Bend it Like
Beckham, Blue Crush, The Hustler, The Color of Money, One Day in September, Ali, When We Were Kings, Jerry
Maguire, Olympia, The Karate Kid, Eight Men Out, Breaking Away, Talladega Nights, Heaven Can Wait, Brian’s
Song, This Sporting Life, Cinderella Man, Rudy, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Invincible, Without
Limits, White Men Can’t Jump, Pat and Mike, The Rookie, Shaolin Soccer, Dogtown and Z-Boys, Lagaan, Offside,
Murderball, Senna
Literature: novels, plays, poetry, short stories
Bruce Dawe poetry
Poetry Reloaded
Gold, Chris Cleave
Eleven Seasons, Paul Carter
Fever Pitch, Nick Hornby
Chinaman, Shehan Karunatilaka
The Greatest Game Ever Played, Mark Frost
Death in the Afternoon, Ernest Hemingway
Short stories, Ernest Hemingway
The Great American Novel, Philip Roth
The Club, David Williamson
This Sporting Life, David Storey
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Alan Sillitoe
Media Texts (articles from newspapers, magazines, etc.)
See list of reading materials on the MHS Portal <<Shared Resources / context-theme studies / This Sporting Life>>
Samuel Beckett the sportsman – from cricket to Krapp's Last Tape
Nick Hornby: 'People say my book sold football to the middle classes. I disagree'
The True Significance of Olympic Snychronized Swimming
Federer as Religious Experience
Gideo Haigh (get for guest speaker?)
Martin Flanagan
David Foster-Wallace on tennis
The Philosopher’s Magazine special issue on sport
Multimodal Texts (e.g. video clips, blogs, web, graphics, cartoons, documentaries, current affairs etc.)
Sporting Nation (John Clarke)
Grantland
Art Works (provide URLs)
(Year 10 English Context Electives. © 2014 English Faculty Melbourne High School)
7
Creating and Presenting
Prompts for Comparative Essay and Creative Narrative Writing
1.
Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of
all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence. In other words, it is war minus the shooting. (George
Orwell)
2.
Thus so wretched is man that he would weary even without any cause for weariness... and so frivolous is he
that, though full of a thousand reasons for weariness, the least thing, such as playing billiards or hitting a
ball, is sufficient enough to amuse him. (Blaise Pascal)
3.
Sports do not build character. They reveal it. (Heywood Broun)
4.
Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold. (Joseph Chilton Pearce)
5.
Sports teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the rules, it teaches you to know what it feels like to
win and lose-it teaches you about life. (Billie Jean King)
6.
Sports is human life in microcosm. (Howard Cossell)
Scenarios (prompts with specified purpose, audience and form)
•
Report on a sporting event
•
Write an account of Roy’s missing sixteen years. Or choose an episode within that time frame.
•
Take a real sporting event and create a myth from it.
•
Take an existing myth and use it as the basis for a sporting story. (Odysseus and the sirens, Jason and the
Argonauts, labours of Hercules)
•
Write a feature article on the real story behind The Natural
•
Research the Black Sox scandal of the 1919 World series
•
Write a letter (by Malamud?) complaining about the changes made to the film version of The Natural
•
Write additional scenes
1. Imaginative Tasks
Invictus
In Invictus, President Nelson Mandela uses the Rugby World Cup to unite a deeply divided nation. He enlists the
support of the captain of the Springboks, Francois Pienaar, to accomplish - what most thought - was an
unattainable goal: a World Cup championship and a united country. President Mandela quotes the following lines
from the poem ‘Invictus’ to inspire Pienaar:
‘I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.’
Keeping the above lines in mind, write a short story about a character who is determined to turn a hapless situation
into one of great triumph.
Word limit: approx. 800
(Year 10 English Context Electives. © 2014 English Faculty Melbourne High School)
8
Frozen moment
This task requires you to take one of the school’s statues as a starting point for a piece of narrative writing, which
imagines the life and drive behind that frozen moment.
1. Visit the statues on the front lawn of the school, spending time looking at all of them, and taking photos of the
statues using your iPad.
2. Make notes about what you see in the features and poses of the statues, and how you might imagine that
person behaving/ thinking/ feeling in real life.
3. Back at your desk, choose one statue and plan a narrative, from the first person-perspective, which gives an
insight into the character of the person you have chosen. Think about their fears, desires and passions which go
beyond the obvious (a desire to win, a fear of losing). What really makes this person tick?
Think about the discussions we’ve had in class about sport in general, and incorporate these ideas into your
writing.
4. Develop this piece of writing in to a carefully considered, drafted, proofread piece of 800 words.
5. Submit your finished piece in hard copy, including your photo of the statue.
The Natural
You must write a poem of 10–20 lines in length about a sport that you love, either as a participant or as a spectator.
The poem must combine the sport with material drawn from mythology, with at least two or three references in the
poem. Think about the kind of imagery and sound devices you can use to make it a good poem, and think about
what is unique or distinctive about the sport. How can you avoid cliché and describe it in a fresh and interesting
way?
2. Expository Tasks
Biography
A biography is a written account of the series events that make up a person’s life. You will be required to write a
biography on someone you admire in sport.
What to include:
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Date and place of birth
Family information
Lifetime achievements
Major events
While these basic details are necessary they are not enough to produce a detailed, sophisticated biography.
You’ve chosen the person because he/she is interesting. Do not burden your paper with a catalogue of basic facts.
Begin your biography with an engaging statement, a quirky fact or an intriguing event. Do not begin your biography
with your subject’s date of birth. The next sentence or two should lead into the main message of your biography.
The body of your biography should provide an insight into your subject’s personality. Consider the following
questions:
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Was there something in your subject’s childhood that shaped his/her personality?
Was there a personality trait that drove him or her to succeed?
What adjectives would you use to describe him/her?
What were some of the turning points in his/her life?
The final paragraph will summarise your main points and reiterate your main claims about your subject. It should
point out your main points, re-state the name of the person you’re writing about, but it should not repeat specific
examples.
Word limit: approx. 800
(Year 10 English Context Electives. © 2014 English Faculty Melbourne High School)
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Writing Sport
1. Develop an essential question to be explored in your writing. Your question needs to lead to a discussion into
the relationship between sport and the way we lead our broader lives.
Consider a question which invites a wide-ranging, not narrow answer. Consider ideas like the way sporting
values are recreated and enforced inside school; or the way breaking the rules (in a sporting or wider sense) is
acceptable; or perhaps the lessons we can learn from our sporting idols. There are many possibilities, but it will
take some time to develop just the right question.
Questions beginning with ‘Is…’ ask for a yes/no answer, and don’t necessarily provide an opportunity for a wideranging discussion (‘Is Australia’s national identity linked to its sporting performances?’).
Ask a higher-order question beginning with ‘How…’ or ‘Why…’ which invites a much more complex,
sophisticated discussion (‘How is Australia’s national identity linked to its sporting performances?’).
There is certainly no expectation that your piece will be pro-sport, or that there are pre-conceived ‘right’ answers
for this task. Deep, mature thinking is what is rewarded here. Be original and daring.
2. Choose any audience, purpose and form.
Consider what you want to say and who you want to say it to. This will determine the best form for you to use.
3. Plan and write a piece, which explores in-depth the essential question you’ve set yourself.
Research the features of your chosen form: these must be accurately reproduced in your own writing.
Your piece must be 800 words in length.
Your piece must be typed and submitted in hard copy.
3. Expository and Persuasive
Sportswriting Assignment
You must submit two pieces of writing of approximately 500 words each in length:
1. Using the Sachin Tendulkar profile as a model you must write a profile of one of your sporting heroes. You must
come up with interesting ways to describe the magnitude of their achievement. This is expository (or
informative) writing. Length: 500 words
2. Using the Ed Smith article on cheating as a partial model you must write an opinion piece for a daily newspaper
that focuses on cheating or wrongdoing in sport and connects that to everyday life. This is persuasive (or
argumentative) writing. Length: 500 words. See also examples of actual opinion pieces (e.g. How to Get Doping
Out of Sports, Essendon scandal a symptom of Australia’s sporting woes).
Enrichment / Extension: Extended Research Project
Group oral presentations drawing on the key questions, with ICT component, including iPad
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3–4 students per group, each group has autonomy in selecting a key question and determining how they
approach it, as well as how they will present their information to the class.
Requirements: must use iPads, oral presentations must be min. 15–20 minutes per group (five mins each).
Suggested that it includes an interview (sports writer or sportsperson?), suggested visit to a venue,
depending on relevance to topic
Must include a bibliography with minimum five sources
Each group can choose whether they want to present live or show a 15–20 minute video to the class
Must draw on at least two texts discussed in class (whether articles, main text, supplementary texts)
(Year 10 English Context Electives. © 2014 English Faculty Melbourne High School)
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