Rationale and curriculum
At skwirk.com, we believe that knowledge is the vehicle through which you learn skills. When you are examining a text and doing exercises and tests you are developing a broad range of skills that will help you to succeed at school and to achieve high levels of communication and interpersonal skills. Skwirk.com offers you an ever-growing range of texts with in-depth summaries and explanation. These texts link to an extensive, in-depth analysis of the skills that are necessary to achieve at your best.
These skills-based lessons incorporate text, examples, animations and images as well as interactive lessons and activities designed to give you a clear understanding of the theories behind concepts as well as to give you the practice you need to refresh, learn and understand. Skwirk.com believes that people learn by seeing and doing and thus provide opportunities for you to practise the skills that you need through both seeing animations and doing examples.
Learn by seeing and doing
Learning by seeing and doing is an essential component of the English at skwirk.com curriculum. You will find the many opportunities to learn interactively in each chapter that you use. The English curriculum at skwirk.com gives you the opportunity to learn interactively in the following ways.
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Learning tools |
Description |
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Animations |
Animations, many with sound, are designed as examples to demonstrate clearly the concepts and skills that you are required to learn to succeed in English. |
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Activities |
A variety of activities are included to help you practise using the skills that you need to achieve. These activities comprise a mixture of drag and drop, written response and multiple choice questions targeted towards specific skills, concepts and knowledge. These are reinforced in the chapter content that you can refer to until you are happy with your understanding. |
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Online lessons |
Online lessons are like having your own personal lesson. They discuss a variety of skills and knowledge as well as specific text types and you can take all the lessons at your own pace. |
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Practise and sample exams |
Practise and sample exams give you experience in completing exams in exam-like conditions. You will gain practice analysing and understanding all text types and forms and using all language modes through multiple-choice questions, short answer questions and longer response questions, all with detailed annotations directing you towards correct answers. This is so that you test not only what areas you need more practise in, but also helps you learn as you go. |
English Skills
When you study a text at school you are learning skills. These skills are transferable not only to any other text that you study but also to your vocational and everyday life. For this reason, English at skwirk.com focuses on these skills to help you develop the higher order thinking skills that you need to achieve your best in English. The English skills section of skwirk.com is the main body of skwirk.com's English curriculum.
The English skills strand of Skwirk.com is categorised in four ways as follows. The terms used are explained in more detail in the unit 'What is English?'
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Category |
Definition |
What you will learn |
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Skills by mode |
'Modes', as used at skwirk.com, refer to the different language mediums. Each sub-category is a different language mode. The 'What is English' unit provides detail about the individual modes. |
While many of the skills required for one mode will be required for another, it is important that you can recognise the subtle differences and skills required to communicate in each mode |
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Sub-category |
Definition |
What you will learn |
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Reading and Writing |
'Reading and Writing' explains, develops and teaches the skills that you need to know and to constantly improve for any communication that is written. |
Through a range of processes you will learn vital concepts to help you understand texts and to compose written texts more effectively. You will also learn to use and recognise language features and techniques from alliteration to achieving and recognising tone, register and style. You will learn to appreciate how meaning is created and how to better create it yourself. |
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Speaking and Listening |
'Speaking and Listening' explains, develops and teaches the skills that you need to know and to constantly improve for any communication that is spoken. |
Through a range of processes you will learn vital concepts to help you understand texts and to compose spoken texts more effectively. You will also learn to use and recognise language features and techniques required to achieve and recognise tone, register and style. You will learn to appreciate how meaning is created and how to better create it yourself by understanding the affects of language concepts and techniques. |
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Viewing and Representing |
'Viewing and Representing' explains, develops and teaches the skills that you need to know and to constantly improve for any communication that is visual. |
Through a range of processes you will learn vital concepts to help you understand visual texts and to compose visual texts more effectively. You will also learn to use and recognise language features and techniques required to achieve and recognise style. You will learn to appreciate how meaning is created and how to better create it yourself by understanding the affects of language concepts and techniques. |
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Category |
Definition |
What you will learn |
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Skills by text form |
The term 'text form' is used by skwirk.com to refer to the range of texts that rely on particular styles and conventions. These include texts such as letters and news reports as well as essay forms. |
You will learn to recognise the structures and styles of text forms as well as useful hints and detailed instructions for planning, writing and editing essay forms. This category will help you to perform in exams and assignments that require you to write a variety of essays and within the confines of particular text forms. |
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Category |
Definition |
What you will learn |
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Skills by text type |
The term 'Text Type' is used by skwirk.com to refer to the range of texts that are used for extended study in schools. The skills and knowledge that you learn through the modes will help you to succeed in each text type. |
Through a range of processes, including activities, examples, animations and online lessons, you will learn to recognise the features and conventions of each text type and use them to understand and explain how these affect meaning in the texts that you study. |
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Sub-category |
Definition |
What you will learn |
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Film |
This sub-category is designed to help you understand and analyse any film text that you study in class, from full-length feature films, short-films, television advertising and even music videos. |
You will learn a complete range of techniques and features of films and how they affect meaning. Be sure to be familiar with the 'Viewing and Representing' and 'Speaking and Listening' modes to have an even greater chance to develop skills that are relevant to the study of films. |
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Drama |
This sub-category is designed to help you understand and analyse any drama text that you study or view in class, from short skits to full length plays and whether you read through or view a play. |
You will learn a complete range of techniques and features of drama texts and how they affect meaning. Be sure to be familiar with the 'Viewing and Representing', 'Speaking and Listening' and 'Reading and Writing' (if you are reading through a play) modes to have an even greater chance to develop skills that are relevant to the study of drama. |
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Shakespearean drama |
This sub-category is designed to give you detailed background knowledge about the life, times and significance of Shakespeare to the English language. |
You will learn a range of terms and features useful for understanding and analysing Shakespearean drama as well as an insight into the background of Shakespeare. This will enable you to have a clearer understanding of the importance of Shakespeare as well as appreciate and understand the texts themselves. Be sure to be familiar with all language modes as well as with the drama text type sub-categories. |
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Poetry |
This sub-category is designed to help you understand the main features and techniques of poetry and how they affect meaning as well as the more common forms. |
You will learn to appreciate the use of techniques in poetry and how these affect meaning. You will also learn the significance and effect of different poetic forms. The skills that you learn in this subcategory will help you to understand and to compose a range of poems more effectively. |
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Picture Books |
This sub-category is designed to help you understand and analyse any picture book that you study in class. Picture books are an increasingly popular text type for teaching English. This is because picture books incorporate both the 'Reading and Writing' and 'Viewing and Representing' language modes and can be used for all age groups and a variety of skill levels. |
You will learn to appreciate, recognise and understand the relationship between image and text and how composers create meaning in picture books. The skills and knowledge that you learn in this subcategory will enable you to analyse picture books to a very high level. Be sure to be familiar with the language modes 'Reading and Writing' and 'Viewing and Representing.' |
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Websites |
This subcategory recognises that schools keep up to date with newer forms of communication. Understanding what makes websites effective is very important and incorporates the use of all three language modes. |
You will learn the technical terms and to appreciate how webmasters create effective websites. |
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Category |
Definition |
What you will learn |
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Practise and sample exams. |
These exams are designed to test and practise your skills across all categories of the skwirk.com curriculum. |
You will gain practice analysing and understanding all text types and forms and using all language modes through multiple choice questions, short answer questions and longer response questions, all with detailed annotations directing you towards correct answers. This is so that your test not only tells you what areas you need more practice in, but also helps you learn as you go. |
