My first degree was a media degree. I studied, film, journalism, and digital photography (this was a new thing back then and before the fancy mobile phones that took photos – yes, I’m THAT old). Anyway, one of the courses that I completed was radio production. I loved it. I was told I had the face for radio (what does that even mean? LOL!!). So here I am putting my face to the mic and dipping my toes into the murky waters of podcasts.

This particular podcast is about Argument Analysis in Unit 3 English. I sat down with three of my Year 12 students who had very pressing questions about approaching their upcoming SAC for this area of study. We talked about ways to identify the argument in texts, how to discuss language, how to structure an essay (there is a blog coming about that I promise), and how to avoid listing persuasive techniques to keep your essays zesty.

Thank you to my students (Kate M. Joanne L. and Oli M) for being involved as I pulled them out of their study session and bribed them with chocolate, but also to my colleague Sonia Murr for editing and publishing on her podcast Reading Beyond the Lines https://readingbeyondthelines.buzzsprout.com/ we are having a heap of fun producing this.

VCE Literature – A focus on Ellen van Neerven's poem Paper ships, from their collection Throat – Reading Beyond the Lines

In this episode, we are joined by VCE Literature students from Kilvington Grammar, to discuss van Neerven's poem Paper ships. Among other things we discuss form – the shape of the poem, the unconventional spelling, the use (or  otherwise) of capital letters and repetition. The students also had very interesting things to say about the title of the poem and the way that this poem (among others in the collection)  may have found inspiration in the 'poet warrior' Audre Lorde and her seminal essay collection Sister Outsider.

1. VCE Literature – A focus on Ellen van Neerven's poem Paper ships, from their collection Throat 24:24
2. Euripides' The Women of Troy – in conversation 33:49
3. VCE Literature – A focus on the poem 'Chermy' from Ellen van Neerven's poetry collection Throat. 20:56
4. VCE Literature: Ellen van Neerven visits our Literature class to discuss 'Throat' 47:04
5. VCE Literature: 'Treaty', by Ellen van Neerven, from their poetry collection Throat 14:16