HSC Area of Study Discovery Selecting and Analysing

HSC Area of Study: Discovery Selecting and Analysing Related Material Source unknown Lake Macquarie High School Library

Discovery: Choosing Related Material Before anything else: Be familiar with the BOSTES Prescriptions Statement (p 9) This piktochart is a good summary of the Prescriptions Statement

The Importance of Well Chosen Related Material Related material can be the discriminating factor between your response scoring very well and… not so well… Related material needs to be of quality and substance Your choice and analysis of related material demonstrates YOUR skills Related material is used to support or extend your essay thesis You should have at least three pieces of related material prepared

Some Guiding Principles Using prescribed texts from other areas of your HSC course is not recommended Avoid using the same text type as your prescribed text Choose one item from a series or film franchise rather than the whole series or franchise

What type of text? Print texts: • Novels • Novellas • Short Stories • Biographies • Poetry • Feature articles Visual texts: • Feature films • Short films • Documentaries • Picture Books • Graphic novels • Visual Art Consider your own strengths in analysis and the time required for a thorough exploration of each text.

Novels The reader’s discoveries in Golding’s classic novel are confronting and provocative. Wakefield’s protagonist undergoes an intensely emotional journey of selfdiscovery that results in renewed perceptions of herself and others.

Novellas The ramifications of the discoveries made by Winter about herself and others are profound. Steinbeck’s use of a cinematic writing style ensures a powerful audience response to Kino’s hard earned discovery.

Short stories are manageable but still of substance. Try one of the following collections:

Biographies/non-fiction Biographies can be an excellent source of texts exploring self-discovery This non-fiction anthology contains a variety of short essays on personal experience and self-discovery:

Poetry can provide a compact text, rich in language features • The Glass Jar by Gwen Harwood • The Door by Miroslav Holub • Si Tenggang's Homecoming by Muhammad Haji Salleh • A Vision by Simon Armitage • Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Feature articles, blogs etc. Feature articles need to be current (with some exceptions e. g. Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb) An online feature article on the rediscovery of a species that was thought to be extinct. The rediscovery has ramifications for ecological preservation in the local area. A National Geographic feature article: This face changes the human story. But how?

Feature films Based on a true story, Philomena follows the journey of a woman in search of the son who was taken from her as a baby. Four boys set out on a quest to find the body of a dead boy. Their journey becomes one of self-discovery. NB – be careful that you are discussing the concept of Discovery rather than Journey

Short films can be rich in techniques and ideas

Documentaries are accessible and also rich in techniques and ideas The school library has many relevant documentaries available in mp 4 format

Picture Books It is essential to examine how visuals add meaning to the text in picture books

Graphic novels Ensure you have a good understanding of the features of graphic novels if you use one as related material. Try the following sites for notes on features and techniques: In. Thinking Eclection

Visual art The Discovery of America by Salvador Dali The Historic Wayfarer by Tim Storrier

Where can I find related material? School library – ask for help! School library catalogue: Oliver LMHS Library pinterest page Local libraries State library online Quality magazines – Time, The Spectator, The New Philosopher, Discover Magazine, The Monthly Newspapers – Good Weekend, Spectrum, Weekend Australian Story Four Corners ABC 2 Sunday night documentaries You. Tube Podcasts: Conversation Hour, BBC News. Hour

How your library can help… LMHS Library Pinterest page Lake Macquarie City Library has a range of resources and activities supporting HSC students State Library Research Guides for HSC English NSW libraries supporting HSC students

Discovery: Analysing Related Material After choosing your related material, refer back to the Prescriptions statement (p 9). For each piece of related material, highlight the phrases in the statement that are relevant to the text (use a fresh copy of the statement for each text). The more highlighted phrases you have, the more relevant your related material is. Make notes exploring how your related text fits in with each of the highlighted phrases. Analyse the ways in which the Discovery concept is represented in each text (features and techniques). Aim to look at how various features and techniques are used in combination. Ensure you are examining a range of features that are specific to the form of text (e. g. panels, gutters, angles etc in graphic novels). Record quotes that can be used to support the ideas and/or that are examples of relevant language features.

Concept Statements about Discovery To assist with developing a deeper understanding of the concept of discovery, and to prepare for writing arguments and thesis statements in your essays, we encourage you to write concept statements about discovery. Activity: Brainstorm, with a friend if you can, a minimum of ten concept statements that can be supported by your related texts. Here are some examples: • Discovery is the process by which our lives are enriched. • It is through discovery that we grow to maturity. • Discovery allows us to view life in a new and fresh way. • Discovery can initiate new values in both a personal and global context. • The process of discovery is the journey of life. • Discovery is the process by which humanity advances. • Discovery can lead to the rejuvenation of friendships and wellbeing. • Discovery allows us to speculate about the real and the imagined. • Finding that which was lost enables us to expand our horizons. • Discovering our own perspectives leads to self-awareness. • Rediscovering can lead to new understandings of ourselves and others. • Time can change one’s perspective of a discovery. • Discoveries that seem valuable at the time may later be challenged as to their worth. • Travelling to new places, or viewing a familiar place through new eyes, can transform our understanding of ourselves and the world. • It is through the process of discovering what we really believe, that we actually affirm our beliefs. • Discovery allows us to view the hidden experience as a common human experience. • Discoveries allow audience’s contextual perspectives to be affirmed as common human experience. Activity: 1. Now take at least five concept statements, whether from your brainstorm or from the list above, and write two extra sentences for each one, elaborating on the idea in the sentence. 2. Take one concept statement for each of your related texts. Provide 5 -10 quotes from each text that relate to the concept. 3. Explain how each related text supports the concept statement, integrating several of your chosen quotes into your explanation. Adapted from NSW HSC Online, http: //hsc. csu. edu. au/english/area_of_study/student-materials/3692/aosdiscovery. html

In the HSC If the question asks you to write about ‘at least ONE piece of related material’ it is better to write in depth on just one related text. Treatment of your prescribed text and your related material should be roughly equal Aim to link or integrate your related material through your thesis Source unknown