VCEhelp.com.au

This is a guest post from former VCE student Erin Lancaster for VCE Literature on Hamlet. If you want to write a guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.
Fortune

“Time is out of joint o cursed spite that I was ever born to set it right” Hamlet
“There’s a [...]

This is a guest post from VCE student Nicholas Buttigieg for VCE English. If you want to write a guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.
In preparation for a text response essay as a SAC or an exam, it should be natural and crucial to create some sort of plan.  Since the [...]

Hi all,
Obviously this post is for the Year 10 and Year 11 students amongst us who are preparing for VCE 2010.
I’m sure many of you have already begun your preparations for your 3/4 subjects with introductory classes this past week or two and many teachers have already heaped holiday homework upon you.
So…before you get carried [...]

My friends at Access Education are pleased to announce the launch of the:
Teacher’s Toolkit professional development program for VCE English teachers
This new program is designed to provide all VCE English teachers with the essential teaching strategies to enable their VCE students to Nail their VCE!
This Teacher’s Toolkit PD offers:

a program meeting VIT professional development [...]

Hi all,
Congratulations to all the VCE English students who have finished that monstrous 3 hours English exam. It’s a huge effort (and I’m sure a huge relief too!) as you shift focus to your other subjects in the next few weeks.
As I’m sure you can appreciate this website provides a lot of resources for VCE [...]

With the 2009 VCE English exam just around the corner – the major exams are about to begin…I know some of you have already started their music or language exams by now. I hope you aced them!
Here are 6 great resources to help you with the VCE English Exam.
1. VCEhelp Podcasts on English:

http://www.vcehelp.com.au/vce-english-podcast-with-ross-huggard-82/
How [...]

VCE Examination Tips For Students
View more presentations from Nirvana Rose Watkins.

Bombshells resources for VCE English

This website provides daily Zits comic strip, by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman.
A unique collaboration between Michael Leunig and singer/songwriter Gyan.
For Better or for Worse -this site has daily and monthly comic strip fix.
Reviews of Jeffery Smart’s art:This site provides Art, book, audio and film reviews.
Australian arts and entertainment site. [...]

This article has been reproduced with the permission of Access Education and David White.
Here is some advice on how to approach part C of the VCE English exam.
“…every year fewer and fewer words, and the range of consciousness always a little smaller.” 1984, G. Orwell
Students should understand how ‘language’ is used to persuade ‘readers’ and [...]

A GUIDE TO SUCCESS IN APPROACHING THE CONTEXT IN VCE ENGLISH

This article has been reproduced with the permission of Access Education as authored by Ross Huggard.
PROMPT – circle key words and ideas in prompt/ visual/image
TEXT – decide how and where to use elements from text

WRITING – decide on form of [...]

Tuesday, 29 Sep

BUNDOORA

1

9.00am-11.30am

Physical Education OR Health & Human Devt.*

Tuesday, 29 Sep

BUNDOORA

2

12.15pm-2.45pm

Food & Technology OR Biology*

Tuesday, 29 Sep

BUNDOORA

3

3.15pm-5.45pm

Business Management OREnglish*

Thursday, 1 Oct

CLAYTON

1

9.00am-11.30am

Geography OR Legal Studies

Thursday, 1 Oct

CLAYTON

2

12.15pm-2.45pm

Health & Human Devt.OR Psychology

Thursday, 1 Oct

CLAYTON

3

3.15pm-5.45pm

Biology [...]

The “5 mins with…” podcast series is a new VCE help radio initiative in conjunction with Access Education and their lecturers.
This podcast today is the 5th in the series and is with Ross Huggard on Writing in Context – part B of the VCE English Exam. . Ross again went above and beyond the call [...]

The “5 mins with…” podcast series is a new VCE help radio initiative in conjunction with Access Education and their lecturers.
This podcast today is the 4th in the series and is with Ross Huggard on the film Look Both Ways. . Now Ross always gives some great advice and today he went a little bit [...]

The “5 mins with…” podcast series is a new VCE help radio initiative in conjunction with Access Education and their lecturers.
This podcast today is the 2nd with Jan May who is discussing the VCE English text – In the Lake Of the Woods. It is a short and powerful podcast to help you with your [...]

VCE English text resources- Fly Away Peter by David Maulof
David Maulof’s Fly Away Peter is one of the VCE English texts for this year. I have listed some websites that contain resources to help you learn and summarise about the content of Fly Away Peter.
Plot Summary This website provides a short plot summary [...]

VCE English text resources-The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is one of the VCE English texts for this year. See below for some websites that will help you develop your summary notes and understanding.
A great website which contains summary of The Crucible, a study guide with outcome and exam-style essays that help [...]

VCE English play resources-The Secret River by Kate Grenville
I have listed some websites that contain resources to help you learn and summarize about the content of The Secret River.
An excellent website which contains Synopsis and reviews. The reviews are done by experts like Library Journal and Booklist etc. Moreover, it provides the product details of [...]

VCE English resources – A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt
Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons is one of the chosen VCE English texts for this year. I have listed some websites that contain resources to help you learn and summarize this content.
Study Boost- A man for All Seasons: An excellent [...]

Raimond Gaita’s Romulus-My Father is one of the VCE English texts for this year. I have listed some websites that contain resources to help you learn and summarize about the content of Romulus, My Father.
Study Boost- Romulus, My Father: A study boost article that describes the goodness of Romulus in his essential honesty and [...]

I have heard that the “fear of public speaking” is one of the most common phobias people experience. The way that you get better at public speaking however, is facing this fear and practicing this skill which leads to improved confidence and therefore speaking performances.  Now I know many of you will be preparing for [...]

I have slowly been collating a list of VCE resources for Citizen Kane and found the following websites. Hope they help…
Spark Notes on Citizen Kane, character information, analysis, themes, motifs and symbols, as well as important quotations explained.
A number of sample essays on the film citizen kane.
The official Wiki of the Citizen Kane film – [...]

Hi all, was doing some research and found this great VCE English study guide on Maestro – enjoy.
Maestro: – By Peter Goldsworthy – VCE Study Guide
Background information on the writer – Peter Goldsworthy
This is his first book. Prior to writing this he had been writing poetry. These days Peter Goldsworthy has been said to think [...]

VCE English- Gattaca Essay. By Emma Roache
‘Gattaca shows us the dangers of uncontrolled technology.’ Discuss.
In the ‘not-to-distant future’, the world of Gattaca is where genetic engineering has become the normal approach to procreation. Gattaca’s society involves a culture of self-advancement through genetic determinisms, a caste system of valid and in-valids and social discrimination based on [...]

I’ve been meaning to upload this for awhile on the topic of Inheritance – some good powerpoint slides on the VCE English topic of Inheritance.
Inheritance
View more presentations from guest151171.

VCE English- Gattaca noted (for Year 11 VCE students).  By Emma Roache
Genetic Engineering (superior and imperfect)
-          The assumption that in-valid cannot meet corporate demands destines them to remain laborers lacking future prospects or advancement.
-          Ceaser exemplifies this class of ‘inferiors’, as he sees to bring Vincent ‘down to earth’ when he say, ‘don’t clean it [...]

I’ve got a confession to make. VCE English Media analyses are not as complicated as you think! They are tricky to get the hang of at the start because there are so many structural aspects to remember on top of actually analysing, understanding and annotating the article. However, if you stick to the same pattern [...]

The authors official website… contact details, the kite runner and discussion boards etc can be found here
Plot summary, references, links, character details and more @ wikipedia, etc…
A highly detailed article in the afghan magazine about the novel, theme quotes and an interview link.
Education age article on the text – the kite runner

http://www.online-literature.com/dickens/hardtimes/
An online guide to the story with character comments chapter by chapter with an overall review

http://www.pillowrock.com/ronnie/hardtimes.htm
An extremely detailed outline of the inner nature of the novel, good essay starters.

http://www.education.theage.com.au/pagedetail.asp?intpageid=1887&strsection=students&intsectionid=3
An education age article on the text.

Hi all,
The Cruzin’ VCE seminars are back on again in 2009. This fantastic initiative will start again with seminars being run at the Box Hill Library on March 28th 2009 for study skill and subject specific help.
Cruzin’ VCE is a series of high quality, informative and highly affordable seminar programs (only $ 20 – total) [...]

Well the count-down is on to the first major exam; English. Some of you may have already started your exams in the form of music or drama – I hope you blitzed them!
However today’s article is solely focussed on preparing for the English exam.
Here are 4 great resources to help you with the VCE English [...]

Cruzin VCE is back again. We started with the Cruzin VCE seminar program in April this year and then the July Program. This time the Term 3 holiday program shapes up to be one of the most important seminars for VCE students this year.
This special full day of seminars in the Term 3 school [...]

George Orwell’s 1984 is currently one of the VCE English texts for this year. I have found a series of websites that contain links and resources to help you learn and summarise the content.
Cliff Notes – 1984
Notes, tips and exam prep all from the convenience of your own home, a bit hard to [...]

After the huge success of the first Cruzin VCE seminar program in April this year the program co-ordinators have expanded and updated the program to cater for the increased demand from students.
This special full day of seminars in the July school holidays has been organised by your local library and employ highly skilled and [...]

It’s finally here. The VCE English podcast with the highly experienced VCE english teacher, Ross Huggard, is now available. In the podcast below you can hear Ross talk about:

The changes to the VCE English Curriculum
The new format of the exam and what to expect
Sentence structure, paragraphing and syntax
Strategies for developing your own understanding of the [...]

We are just 1 week away from launching yet another fantastic initiative called “VCE Help Radio”. VCE Help Radio is a brand new radio program that you can listen to as a podcast on your iPod and also streaming through the VCE help website.
Here’s how it works:
- Each month we interview a leading teacher, [...]

Finally we can let the cat out of the bag with the official launch of the “Cruzin’ VCE” holiday seminar programs. This is an exciting joint initiative between the staff at the Whitehorse Manningham Regional Library, Access Education and VCE Help.
Cruzin’ VCE is a series of high quality, informative and affordable seminar programs that are [...]

“I must pluck up the courage and look”. Although Michele experiences fear, he never lets his fear override his moral convictions. Discuss.
Though in the idioms of fantasy, with fictional characters like the witch, it in fact replicates the horrors Michele now knows are going on in the real world. Monsters do exist after [...]

By Emma Roache (VCE Graduate 2006)
“I must pluck up the courage and look”. Although Michele experiences fear, he never lets his fear override his moral convictions. Discuss.
In Southern Italy in 1978, Niccolo Ammaniti’s I’m Not Scared depicts a sense of Michele’s ethical struggles and steady move towards good in the face of evil. Through [...]

Challenge the topic. Don’t just agree or disagree with a topic, look at it. You’ll probably find phrases or something which isn’t entirely true of the text. Put conditions on the amount you agree/disagree with what the topic says.
For example, a topic in the 2005 exam was something like ‘”The play shows Oedipus to [...]

VCE English is by far the most popular subject in the VCE, pretty much because you HAVE to do it unless you prefer VCE Literature or VCE English Language or you fit the requirements for ESL. English is also an important subject because it goes on your top four subjects in your ENTER increment. In [...]

Obviously, you should also aim to get the best exam score humanly possible. Do this with revision (basically writing a lot of plans and essays under timed conditions including at least one or two trial exams and getting a teacher to look at them) and on the day by not freaking out too much.
I [...]