Imagine KNOWING your Year 12 English text so well that your ATAR was looking stronger before you even walked into your first year 12 English class…
Tell the others about this
Imagine KNOWING your Year 12 English text so well that your ATAR was looking stronger before you even walked into your first year 12 English class…
Tell the others about this
Hey, I’m Amanda,
If you…
- Dislike reading…
- Find it hard to get through a whole book on your own…
- Lose focus and forget what’s happening when you read and feel like you’re drowning in a sea of words that swim on the page…
Or, you just want to be as prepared as you can for Year 12…
Stay with me because what I’m going to share with you below could give you…
...an 'unfair advantage' in your senior year...
…a more relaxed and confident year at school – especially in English class.
A-n-d— the potential of a door-opening ATAR.
The #1 thing to know...
If you’re heading into VCE, most likely you’re going to be studying VCE English…
So – if you’re planning to go to uni and need an ATAR, taking an English subject is compulsory…
…whether you like English or not. Whether you understand the books or not. Whether you even read the books or not!
There’s no way around it.
Even though I was one of those kids who loved curling up on the couch with a novel and still do, I’m well aware that you may not feel the same way.
Maybe for you, reading is hard.
Or English is your second or third language.
Or you do the reading, but what you read doesn’t make sense or you forget it.
Or, you just don’t enjoy it.. and the thought of reading that pile of Year 12 books is almost torture.
I get it. I do.
And that’s exactly why I made why I created VCE Book Club.
The thing is, for a VCE student, everything hinges on your English performance
Put plainly – English is everything.
If you’re aiming to go to university, as you know, you’ll need a strong ATAR. And to get that you’ll need to do well in English throughout the year, and your end-of-year exam.
The bottom line:
Your English study score is the ONLY subject that’s a compulsory inclusion in your ATAR calculation!
(Regardless of whether that final English score is in the 40s or the 20s, it’s counted.)
Now thing #2...
English is mostly about the books
In Unit 3 & 4 you’ll be:
- analysing books
- writing essays on books
- writing creative pieces around the books
- comparing and contrasting ideas between two books
- and writing timed responses under pressure about… you guessed it… books.
Thing #3...
You must have a deep understanding of several texts
- Did you know that up to 80% of students don’t actually read the novel before they start studying it in class?
Now you might be thinking, sweet! I’m not alone! But did you know that if you don’t read your text, you’re already at a huge disadvantage?
- Year 12 races by in only three terms, not four, and there is simply no time to get through the curriculum AND read the text in class. Your English teacher is relying on you to have done the groundwork and read the text in your own time before they start teaching you the unit.
- You’ll no doubt know some students who rely on watching the movie instead of reading the book. That’s if one even exists – but the thing is, most films bear little similarity to the original writing and that will confuse you!
- Some students swear by study guides. Let me tell you, they’re helpful, but bear in mind that everyone else is reading them too! And nothing, just nothing, beats hearing the author’s actual “voice” in the writing to help you understand and enjoy it
- Or perhaps you have a friend who’s careful to keep their books in good shape so they can sell them on eBay as soon as school’s done… because you’ll never want to read them again, right?!
Your novel or play should be well-worn and well-loved… dog-eared, underlined, highlighted and annotated.
Doesn’t sound like you?
That’s okay. Stay with me, because as I said, I have something for you that’s going to give you an almost unfair advantage!
Let me give you the heads up…
Your teacher is going to tell you (or maybe they won’t tell you)
- That you should have a thorough understanding of how characters are connected and the sequence of events.
- That you should be able to identify themes and symbols.
- That you should be able to find examples of significant moments or memorable quotes.
And they’d be absolutely right.
Thing #4...
Read (and know) your books to avoid exam freeze
In the VCE end-of-year exam, students will you’ll be composing three complete pieces of writing in three hours.
Before you’re allowed to pick up your pen, you’ll have 15 minutes of reading time.
In this time you’ll read and think through several different prompt options on your studied texts, and select two to write on.
(There’s also an article you’ll have to read to address the argument section of the exam, which takes up part of this vital reading-and-decision-making time.)
So it’s crucial you have a solid strong knowledge of each text so you can quickly and confidently make a good decision and get ready to write.
Imagine being frozen before a blur of complex questions that don’t make any sense.
Don’t worry. If you’ve read and know your texts, you’ll avoid exam freeze. It’s that simple.
Lastly, of course, in order to do well in the exam and throughout the year, you must be able to do the writing.
Thing #5...
Read your books to write well
In order to write effectively and write deeply on a text you need to know it deeply, and you need to understand it really well.
Not general, superficial, glossing-over-the-surface writing, but meaningful, insightful analyses.
So… I hope I haven’t scared you with the enormity of what you have to do in Year 12 English.
But we’ve have come full circle. If you want a good ATAR you need to write well on your English texts.
And to write well, you need a solid understanding of what they’re about.
So - if you’re a student who:
- Dislikes reading
- Finds it hard to get through a whole book on your own
- Loses focus and forgets what’s happening
- Feels like you’re drowning in a sea of words that swim on the page
- Finds it difficult to grasp the language and key ideas of a text
- Doesn’t want to go it alone
- Or you just want to be as prepared as you can for Year 12…
… A Book Dive could be just what you need!
I know how hard it is to face all those chapters or that Shakespearean language on your own.
And I’ve come up with an out-of-the-box idea that’s refreshingly different… and will set you up for success!
What's a Book Dive, you ask?
VCE Book Dive is a unique short program designed for students heading into Year 12 – specially designed to boost your ATAR, ease the pressure of Year 12 and give you an open door to a great career path.
You’re welcome 🙂
- Book Dives run over summer in the space between Year 11 and 12
- Book Dives are made up of short streamed sessions where I read the book IN FULL and explain in plain language what’s unfolding as we read.
- I discuss all of the important things, the plot, characters, setting, symbols, key ideas and important quotes.
- You can ask questions, and make notes as you go right inside the Book Dive program so your notes are never lost.
Imagine the feeling you’ll have of walking into your Term 1 English class… full of confidence that you’ve read and understood your texts! (Imagine your teacher’s face – you’ll be ahead of most of your class!)
This is the “almost unfair advantage” I said I’d tell you about earlier.
How does a Book Dive work?
Most Book Dive titles are 10 sessions long. A couple of books on the VCE English list are a bit longer. Plays are shorter.
- Sign up for your chosen Book Dive.
- You’ll get exclusive access to a section of the VCE Book Club website.
- Log in with your text and a cuppa and enjoy a 75-minute streaming video. We read the book together, and I explain the plot, themes, symbols etc. in plain English as we go.
- We take breaks along the way so we don’t lose concentration
- And each new session unlocks when you’ve marked the previous session as complete
- Once a new session unlocks it doesn’t expire – it can be re-watched as often as needed throughout the year, along with the notes you’ve taken that are saved with the Book Dive.
- You can do your Book Dive sessions at any time of the day or night to suit your holiday plans or work hour
- There’s a graphic organiser pack you can use during the Book Dive or throughout the year too
- And some great bonus resources are included as well – but that’s a secret
So by the end of the summer holidays, you’ve read the entire text and you’re ready to step confidently into your new English class where you can focus on your writing skills instead of trying to figure out what’s what!
Can I talk about cake for a moment? 🍰(IMPORTANT)
Reading your book first is like baking the cake. If you’ve done a Book Dive, you’ve already done the work.
While many of your classmates will be wandering around at the start of the year with an empty bowl trying to find the flour and the sugar, you’ve arrived to class with a beautiful cake.
Now the things your teacher unpacks will make sense, and anything else you pick up is just icing on that already-baked cake of yours!
Succeeding in VCE English is mostly about...
#1 Understanding the text
#2 Communicating that understanding in writing.
A Book Dive takes care of that first part.
And with the understanding part locked away before the year even begins, you can target your precious class time with your teacher to polish your writing!
#boom
Reading deeply + writing well means a better English score, a stronger ATAR and a great start to your uni/career path!
If you’d like to get through your texts with as little pain as possible, take a Book Dive with me!
