Distinctively
Yours
Preliminary HSC English
Elective module
Distinctive letters in context
© Commonwealth of Australia 2009
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Preliminary HSC English
Standard English
Elective module
Distinctively yours:
Distinctive letters in context
Text Form: Non-fiction or film or media or multimedia
© Commonwealth of Australia 2009
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Objectives from the Stage 6 syllabus
from document at
http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/syllabus2000_liste.html
Students will develop knowledge and understanding of:

the contexts, purposes and audiences of texts

the forms and features of language, and the structures of texts.
Students will develop skills in:

effective communication

individual and collaborative learning

investigation, imaginative and critical thinking, and synthesis of ideas

reflection as a way to review, reconsider and refine meaning and learning.
Students will come to value and appreciate:

the role of language in developing positive interaction and cooperation

their developing skills as users of English

the pleasure and diversity of language and literature

the role of language and literature in their lives

the study and use of English as a key to learning

reflection on their own processes of learning 

English as a language of communication and culture

appropriateness, subtlety and aesthetics in language use.
Syllabus outcomes
Outcome 1
A student demonstrates an understanding of the relationships between
composer, responder, text and context.
Outcome 4
A student identifies and describes language forms and the features, and
structures of particular texts which shape meaning and influence responses.
Outcome 5
A student describes the ways different technologies and media of production
affect the language and structure of particular texts.
Outcome 10
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A student analyses and synthesises information and ideas from a range of texts
for a variety of purposes, audiences and contexts.
Outcome 11
A student draws upon the imagination to transform experience into text.
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Set texts
Suite of letters
Title
Composer
Classification
Audience
Context
Margery Brews to
John Paston III
Margery Brews
Non-fiction
Personal
15th Century
Handwritten
Valentine’s letter letter
Macbeth to Lady
Macbeth
William
Shakespeare
Fiction
Public
17th Century
drama tragedy
Handwritten
letter read
within a
soliloquy
Mr Darcy to
Elizabeth Bennet
Jane Austen
Fiction
Personal
19th Century
romance
Handwritten
letter
Ballou to Sarah
(wife)
Major Sullivan
Ballou
Non-fiction
Personal
American Civil
War
Handwritten
letter
The Jerilderie
letter
Edward (Ned)
Kelly
Non-fiction
Public
19th Century
Australia
Open letter
Yirrkala bark
petition
The Yirrkala
people
Non-fiction
Public
20th Century
Australia
Petition
Two solitudes
Carl Steadman
Fiction
Private
20th Century
long distance
romance
Emails
Letter of
resignation
unknown
unknown
Private/public Letter of
resignation
Amnesty open
letter
Amnesty
International
Non-fiction
Public
Issue concerning Open letter to
David Hicks’s
the press
detention in
Guantanamo
Prison Camp
A thirty second
romance
John Remmulp
Fiction
Private
Teenage
romance
SMS
Bram Stoker
Fiction
Private
19th Century
gothic
Handwritten
letter
Form
Email
For Assessment
Van Helsing to
John Seward
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Outcomes content (Preliminary Standard English)
Content
Evidence of learning
1.1 Identifying and describing the contexts of responding
to and composing particular texts.
1.2 Identifying and describing the effects of those
elements of a text which reflect context.
1.3 Composing texts for a variety of contexts, purposes
and audiences.
1.5 Changing the contexts of responding to, or
composing texts in order to achieve particular meanings.

4.1 Identifying and describing a variety of language
forms and features, and structures of particular texts.
4.2 Identifying the effects of the language forms and
features, and structures of particular texts.
4.3 Using various language forms and features, and
structures of texts.

5.2 Identifying and describing the effects of
technological forms and conventions on meaning in
personal, social, historical, cultural and workplace
contexts.
5.3 Composing a variety of texts using a range of
technologies.
5.4 Reflecting on the effects of a change in technology
on their own compositions.

10.1 Collecting, selecting, interpreting and drawing
conclusions about information and ideas in a range of
texts from personal, social, historical, cultural and
workplace contexts.

Correct completion of
‘Understanding the text’ and
‘Considering context’ exercises for
each letter studied.
11.2 Experimenting with ways of transforming
experience into imaginative texts in different contexts for
specified audiences.
11.3 Recreating texts into new texts by changing
perspective and contexts for specified audiences.

Creative writing compositions
PLUS assessment task.
Assessment task.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2009








Correct completion of
‘Understanding the text’ exercises
for each letter studied.
Correct completion of ‘Considering
context’ exercises for each letter
studied.
Completion of ‘Creative writing
tasks’. 
Completion of major assessment
task.
Correct completion of
‘Understanding the text’ and
‘Considering context’ exercises for
each letter studied.
As above. 
Creative and extended writing
compositions.
‘Understanding context’ exercises
for the Steadman, Smith and
Remmulp texts.
Creative writing and extension
tasks.
Major assessment task.
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Assessment
Formative assessment tasks: Responding
Students complete a series of scaffold writing activities, based on BOS
assessment verbs AND /OR
students complete a series of creative writing activities based on the letters set
for study.
Formal assessment task: Transformation
Students transform an unseen letter from one context into another, exploring
ways in which changing contexts and technological forms and conventions
influence composition and meaning.
Rationale for the approach used in this teaching
program
The unit begins with the students exploring the idea of what a letter is and how it
can be composed and received in different contexts and technologies.
Students are exposed to a wide range of letters from various sources and
technologies, including fiction and non-fiction texts, personal texts and political
texts. This suite of letters will form the ‘set text’ used in this unit. Each text can be
examined as a class or independently, in isolation and in relation to others,
focussing on context, purpose, technology, and textual features.
Students will complete a series of activities based on their widening
understanding of the relationships between composer, responder, writer, text
form, text delivery and context. Students may then be asked to complete a series
of extended and creative writing tasks. Extended writing activities have a NSW
Board of Studies (BOS) ‘key term’ as each task’s focus, a suggested scaffold
with recommendations and a five-range set of marking criteria.
For formal assessment, students will be given a letter from outside the suite to
transform into a different context using a different medium of composition. In
addition students will justify their transformation in a reflection statement.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2009
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Learning content and activities
Quality teaching
Students learn to:
1.3 compose texts for a variety of contexts, purposes and
audiences
Engagement
Cultural knowledge
Knowledge integration
Narrative
1.5 change the contexts of responding to, or composing texts in
order to achieve particular meanings
Engagement
Deep understanding
Cultural knowledge
Knowledge integration
Narrative
10.1 collecting, selecting, interpreting and drawing conclusions about
information and ideas in a range of texts from personal, social, historical, cultural
and workplace contexts
Deep knowledge
Deep understanding
Cultural knowledge
Knowledge integration
11.2 experimenting with ways of transforming experience into imaginative texts
in different contexts for specified audiences
Engagement
Cultural knowledge
Knowledge integration
Narrative
11.3 recreating texts into new texts by changing perspective and contexts for
specified audiences.
Engagement
Cultural knowledge
Knowledge integration
Narrative
Students learn about:
1.1 identifying and describing the contexts of responding to and
composing particular texts
Deep knowledge
Knowledge integration
Narrative
Explicit quality criteria
1.2 identifying and describing the effects of those elements of a
text which reflect context
Deep knowledge
Deep understanding
Substantive communication
Explicit quality criteria
4.1 identifying and describing a variety of language forms and
features, and structures of particular texts
Deep knowledge
Deep understanding
Substantive communication
Explicit quality criteria
4.2 identifying the effects of the language forms and features, and
structures of particular texts
Deep knowledge
Substantive communication
4.3 using various language forms and features, and structures of
texts.
Engagement
Cultural knowledge
Knowledge integration
Narrative
© Commonwealth of Australia 2009
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Week 1:
Syllabus
content
Quality teaching Learning and teaching activities
Evidence of learning
Before introducing the unit:
The teacher should establish
protocols for the uploading and
downloading of student resources.
This may necessitate the
establishment of a specific folder to
be accessed via the school’s intranet,
Moodle site or server.
This OneNote page may be shared
with students in a 'live session' and
then saved in the students' K:/drive.
1.1
4.1
4.2
10.1
See
‘Learning
content
and
activities’
(above)
Background
knowledge
Connectedness
Metalanguage
Deep knowledge
Deep understanding
Knowledge integration
Lesson 1
The teacher introduces the concept of
letters by encouraging students to
consider the use of letters in their own
lives.
Students answer questions as given
in the ‘Opening Activity’ and discuss
their answers either as a group or as
a class.
Extension: The teacher may wish to
construct (or the students may
construct) a mind map using
FreeMind, with the central node being
‘letters’.
Homework: Mini-research task:
finding an example of a famous letter
in history.
Completion and discussion of
opening activity, considering aspects
of letters such as:
 form
 function
 audience
 technology
 historical context
 workplace texts
 difference between
personal and public
letters
 advantages and
disadvantages of letters
as a mode of
communication.
Lessons 2-3
The teacher may wish to begin with
the ‘posting’ of the suite of letters
followed by a discussion of the
objectives of the unit (as outlined in
the above rationale) and an outline of
the way the unit will be completed
and assessed.
OR
the teacher may wish to begin with
the first selected letter and the
associated exercises.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2009
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Weeks 2 - 8:
Recommendations concerning learning and teaching sequence
Option one: teacher focussed: Quality teaching focus – Intellectual quality
The class teacher selects a series of letters, activities, extended activities and creative writing tasks from the
unit for students to complete. Letters selected may follow a chronological sequence, a reverse chronological
sequence, a form-based selection (choosing works of non-fiction first, for example) or audience-based selection
(personal and public).
Students work through the activities as individuals and as groups, and complete the extended and creative
writing activities. Individual lessons may consist of a series of explicit writing instructions, with time devoted to
drafting, teacher and peer editing and the publishing of student compositions.
Option two: student focussed: Quality teaching focus – Quality learning environment
Students are presented with the suite of letters and their associated activities and extended tasks. Instructions
are then given to individuals or groups relating to the number of letter activities, extended writing tasks and
creative compositions that are to be completed and the time frame in which this work will occur.
Teachers may wish to specify the completion of activities from a given amount of letters chosen from historical
periods, technologies, audience types, classification etc. (For example, students must choose to complete the
activities from TWO pre 20th Century texts PLUS TWO 21st Century texts, plus ONE extended writing task and
TWO creative writing tasks.)
Option three: combination: Quality teaching focus - Significance
The teacher may wish to reserve a number of letters and/or activities and tasks to be completed in class and
allow the students to supplement this teacher-focussed work with a selection of the letters etc. that remain.
Formative assessment:
The teacher may select a given number of extended writing tasks and creative writing compositions to be
drafted and completed as part of the assessment process for this unit. This will ensure a consistency of student
approach and a range of student experience and exposure.
Summative assessment:
The summative assessment task can be completed in a number of circumstances, ranging from presenting the
task and excerpt to students and allowing them two weeks to compose their response and reflection statement
out of class, through to presenting the task under examination conditions.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2009
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Note regarding additional texts and their uses
This unit provides teachers and students with a suite of letters and a variety of activities
associated with these letters. The selection aims at a broad range of forms, audiences
and contexts and is by no means exclusive. The activities are designed as exemplars of
teaching and learning materials and may be supplemented or replaced.
The unit does not require the use of related material. Teachers wishing to parallel the
HSC MODULE A: Experience through language
Elective 1: Distinctive voices may include the request for students to use related
materials.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2009
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Other resources
There are a variety of additional texts that teachers may wish to include with this
unit, particularly multimodal texts. These include:
Film
Dear America: Letters home from Vietnam, directed by Bill Couturié,1987
You’ve got mail, directed by Nora Ephron, 1998
The holiday, directed by Nancy Myers, 2006
The love letters from Teralba Road, Steven Wallace, 1977
http://www.awm.gov.au/ - Australians’ letters from various theatres of war
Web-based narratives
http://www.inanimatealice.com/ - Digital narratives (many of which involve SMS,
email, chat etc.)
Non-Fiction
Gregory Kratzmann (ed.) A steady storm of correspondence; Selected letters of
Gwen Harwood 2001
Meredith McKinney and Patricia Clarke, With love and fury. Letters of Judith
Wright 2006
The autobiography of Bertrand Russell: 1914-1944, 1956
Fiction
Berlie Doherty, Dear nobody
Anthony Eaton, Fireshadow
Dawn French Dear Fatty ...
Elizabeth Honey The boy from Berlin
Michael Hyde, Hey Joe
Alice Kuipers Life on the refrigerator door
Julia Lawrinson, Obsession
John Marsden, Letters from the Inside
Sue Mayfield, Blue
David Metzenthen, Boys of blood and bone
Jocyline Moriarty, Finding Cassie Crazy
There are many more! Thank you to the NSW teacher librarian’s list service
contributors for their assistance in the publication of this list.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2009
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