Voice
This unit focuses on developing the ability to identify and interpret the voice of a text, and on cultivating your own voice in English. A central objective is to distinguish between the theme of a fiction text and the message of a non-fiction text.
Language production is practised through student-authored texts, while oral activities carry a distinctly performative character.
Texts
| Text | Author | Genre |
|---|---|---|
| Have You Heard of Oscar Wilde? | Stephen Fry | Non-fiction essay |
| How th’Irth Wint Rong by Hapless Joey@Homeskool.guv | Gregory Maguire | Fiction |
| The Doll’s House | Katherine Mansfield | Short story |
| Address to the UN General Assembly (2019) | Jacinda Ardern | Speech |
Key terms
→ Terms overview — Unit 1: Voice
Core concepts: voice, tone, register, rhetoric, ethos, pathos, logos, theme, message, rhetorical devices
Skills and resources
- Active listening — practised as a framework for group discussion
- Reflection — used to consolidate learning at the end of lessons
- Oral exam presentation format introduced
Lessons
| Date | Focus |
|---|---|
| 16-01 | First day — studiegrupper, orientation |
| 20-01 | Stephen Fry — active listening, reading and writing |
| 23-01 | Grammar: verbs — reading in groups |
| 30-01 | Oral exam presentation format — The Doll’s House (part 1) |
| 03-02 | The Doll’s House (part 2) — writing fiction and non-fiction |
| 06-02 | Jacinda Ardern’s UN speech — the rhetorical situation |
| 17-02 | Rhetorical tools — writing a speech |
| 20-02 | Voice recap — creative writing |