Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 14,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

I should add that studying that much did not make me very happy and that you need to acknowledge that you have other priorities in life. I’ve known senior students who had responsibilities outside of the classroom ranging from part time jobs and romantic relationships to working almost full time in a family business or being the primary carer for a sick parent.

The following is a rough guide. You need to work out how much time you have to spend and what kind of result you want. You should also look at my upcoming post on how to study smarter.

The indicative number of hours for English (Advanced or Standard) is 120. That means that over the four terms of the HSC, you should spend roughly 120 hours sitting in English class.

My advice is try for one hour of work outside of class for every hour that you’re in it. That sounds like a lot, I know; but if you’re smart about it, it means treating the HSC like a full time job and it can prevent assessment-hopping and the night-before panic that is endemic in HSC students. Yes, there will still be assessment pile-ups at certain times of each term, so make sure you give yourself a break afterwards. Making the time and using it well right from the beginning of the year will mean less stress around exam time.

Suggestions to find more time:

• use free periods for studying, not socialising (or form a study group and do a little of both)
• work in the library after school, even if it’s just for an hour
• if you can, quit your after school job, or cut back your hourse (I recognise this isn’t possible for all students)
• if you can, cut back time spent on time-consuming co-curricular sports (unless this is your downtime)
• if you can, limit the number of subjects you’re doing (YOU SHOULD CONSULT WITH PARENTS/TEACHERS/ADVISORS ABOUT THIS ONE) I think it’s better to do a few things really well rather than overloading yourself with the promise of a “safety net” (AGAIN, THIS IS JUST MY OPINION)
• ration time consuming recreational activities like video games – set an alarm to tell you when it’s time to turn off the xbox or log out of WoW
• use those in-between moments in a smart way: catch the bus to school? crank up some educational podcasts on your iPod (list forthcoming in future post); always waiting for friends or parents? carry one text book with you and give it a quick reread rather than playing Angry Birds on your phone

The most important thing is to be realistic. You’re old enough and have been a student long enough to have at least some sense of what kind of student you are. If you know you need a break after twenty minutes, program one in; if you know you’re not going to study on Saturday because of sporting commitments, find the time on Sunday. Don’t be too hard on yourself either. Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t.

Read Widely this includes reading fiction and non-fiction, newspaper and journal articles, blogs, short stories, novels, and poetry. It also includes viewing films and television, looking at paintings and photographs, and listening to music. Let each text lead you to the next one. For example, reading a Neil Gaiman novel might lead you to reading his graphic novels and picture books, you might also find the music of Amanda Palmer, his wife and, through their Twitter feeds, the novels, music, and films they admire. If you’re stuck, Amazon Lists and GoodReads might help.
Explore Form and Genre one of the complaints that I’ve heard repeatedly from the Extension 2 co-ordinators at school is that students are intending to write a short story but all they read is novels. Acknowledge that textual forms differ in their structure, not just their length. Here’s a list of short story writers I recommend: Archie Weller, Roald Dahl, Isaac Asimov, O. Henry, Saki, William Gibson, Arthur C. Clarke, Joanne Harris, Philip K. Dick, Brian Caswell, Tim Winton, Nam Le, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Angela Carter, Chinua Achebe, Graham Greene, Henry Lawson, and Susannah Clarke. Similarly, if you’re writing free form poetry or putting together a short film, make sure the form and genre within which you’re working is a focus of your reading and viewing.
Make Predictions Don’t read passively; be active. If you think you’ve worked out whodunnit, write your idea in your reading journal; if you think you know what will (or should) happen next, write it down. This is particularly important if you’re doing a genre study. Make predictions based on your knowledge of the genre and highlight texts that subvert the conventions.
Make Connections Connections between texts are at the heart of HSC English, whether they be thematic (Belonging, History and Memory, Conflicting Perspectives), chronological (Texts in Time, Exploring Connections, Romanticism, After the Bomb, Navigating the Global) or generic (Crime Fiction, Science Fiction, Life Writing). While reading, look out for connections between what you’re reading and other texts you have read or studied. Don’t limit yourself to what you’re reading for – an article about Life Writing could become a related text for History and Memory. Look out for connections between what you’re reading and your own experiences as well. Note these down.
Respond Creatively Your reading journal shouldn’t just be a series of “I read this and this is what I thought about it.” Rewrite endings, use interesting quotes as stimulus for poems, short stories, and other short pieces, draw diagrams and pictures, find images to illustrate ideas; argue with your texts, put their characters (or authors) on trial – interrogate them. Write what you feel as well as what you think. Try this exercise to get you started: choose a text then, using each of the five senses, describe it: what does it look, smell, taste, sound, feel like?
Respond Analytically Your reading journal is another opportunity to practise your structure response writing. Using the key ideas in the syllabus for your course/module/elective, compose structured integrated paragraphs using the texts you’re currently reading. Writing explications (linear explanations of techniques and meanings) is another good strategy for engaging analytically with texts.

Avoid Recounting This list was originally going to be divided into dos and don’ts but there’s really only one don’t: don’t recount the plot of what you’re reading. There are two reasons for this. The first is that it’s boring. Plot recounts are boring to write and even more boring to read. The second reason is that it’s a bad habit. If you practise recounting the plot in your journal, chances are you’ll replicate that practice in your responses and exams.

There are layers to the way a game can be analysed. Like a novel, a game has character, setting, plot, theme, and style. Analysing what these convey about the idea of belonging is the first layer. Like a film, a game has visual and aural elements: colour, depth, music, camera angle, shot length, and dialogue. Analysing these is the second layer. Unlike a novel or a film, the audience is more than a reader or a viewer, she is a PLAYER. Analysing the experiences of the player is the third layer.

User Generated Content

Some games, most notably Little Big Planet, the Sims games and the all consuming Minecraft, offer players the opportunity to do more than interact with the world of the game, they offer the opportunity to build it. These games aren’t really my area (I prefer novels and films where the composer has done most of the work for me) but if they’re yours, it is worth considering the level of engagement you have within a game where the sense of achievement comes not only from conquering the world but also adding to it.

The most common gift I’ve received from students is a bottle of wine. I love this. A nice white or a solid red works well; however, not all teachers are drinkers. I have also received thoughtful chocolates (more often from junior students as a thank you for the year or for an excursion). This is, again, lovely; however, sometimes I can’t eat them because they contain gluten.

If you’re not sure if your teacher is a drinker or a chocoholic, try a book. One of the most thoughtful gifts I’ve received was The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbary. A small group of students gave it to me when I was leaving full time teaching. I loved it.

A well chosen book with a small personal inscription on the flyleaf will bring a smile to your teacher’s face long after you’ve forgotten your final grade.

In a video game belonging can result from character or mechanics. The very best games use both strong characterisation for the player-character and of other characters in the world and game mechanics that draw you into the game. For a game to work for the AoS, the story needs to be about belonging or offer an element of belonging through the player-character.

Character

Games often have a player-character who doesn’t belong. They are a loner because only they can save mankind, turn back the tide etc (otherwise, why are they doing it?) There is to be something special about the character and therefore marginalising and alienating. What is this attribute and how is it shown within the game?

Adam Jensen, the protagonist of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, undegoes a series of augmentations that enhance his physical attributes but also make him an outsider in a world suffering moral panic over the ethics of transhumanism. One way his uniqueness is expressed in the game is through his name: Adam is a biblical allusion to the first human, suggesting that augmentation is the way forward for the human race but also that it may result in moral degradation. It is also relevant to note that Adam, although portrayed as the father of humanity in the Bible, begins life alone.

Other aspects of belonging/not belonging to look for in the protagonist and other characters include:

• shared purpose (World of Warcraft)
• belonging in a personal relationship (Mass Effect 2)
• estrangement from family (Red Dead Redemption)
• feeling out of place/time (Assassin’s Creed)
• cultural marginalisation (Dragonage)
• individual enriching a community (Fable II)
• alienation from a community (Fallout 3)

The above list is just a starting place for you to see some possibilities. Although novels and films also engage viewers through the experiences of characters; it is games that draw the player in and give them some control of the story.

Mechanics

Game play draws players into the world of the game and, more than other text types, offers a sense of belonging through textual engagement because the player is an active participant rather than a passive observer. There are a number of ways games offer a sense of belonging within the text to players.

Character Customisation: many games, mostly RPGs, allow you to make choices about your character. These range from basic (playing Commander Shepard as a male or female character in Mass Effect) to complex (the thousands of combinations available in World of Warcraft). Customisation allows players to have a character that they feel reflects themself, or an ideal or otherwise repressed version of themself. Many games also allow further customisation of the character–learning new skills, or buying new clothing and equipment–as the player levels up. This continual reward enhances a player’s feeling of connection to and belonging within the game.

Discoverable Items: older games only allow players to interact with a limited number of objects. Newer games tend to offer more discoverable items, allowing the player wider choices as to what may be important and also enhancing the modality of the player’s experience of the world. Compare an old platformer like Commander Keen, where the player-character could only move in two dimensions and only interact with enemies and bonuses, with the more recent Little Big Planet, where many of the levels have a limited third dimension (fore, mid, and background), allowing the player greater interactivity and connection.

Point of View: video games may offer first person or third person viewpoints. In first person (most often seen in first person shooters or FPSs) the player is the character, or rather, the camera is the character. This view limits the player to what the character sees. This can be very effective in games like Deus Ex: Human Revolution, where the player can experience that character’s disorientation first hand. That is not to say that games in third person cannot also offer the player a strong sense of connection; however, the perspective of the game is worth commenting on in you responses.

Emergent Game Play: this is a fairly recent innovation in games and what it means is that the choices you, the player, make within the world of the game have meaningful consequences within that world. This is, in my opinion, one of the most engaging aspects of modern games. Emergent game play ranges from a non-player character noticing your new hat in Fable, to your entire experience of Mass Effect 2 being shaped by the decisions you made at the end of Mass Effect.

An Establishing Statement. This allows you to demonstrate your personal understanding of the module, and because it focuses on the module rather than on the question (we’re getting to that) you can prepare it in advance. This gives you something to write so that you’re not staring at a blank exam booklet or computer screen for too long. This should be the very first sentence in your essay and it should include key words from the rubric but also have a personal twist to show that you’ve thought about the key ideas in the rubric and gone further with them. A pithy quote can often make a good establishing statement. For example,

“Part of the beauty of literature,” argued F. Scott Fitzgerald, is that “you discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.”

I like this one because it’s about belonging through textual engagement, which, as an English teacher, is my favourite way to belong.

Thesis statement. This is your one-sentence answer to the question. A lot of essay questions will give you a thesis statement, others will give you more space to argue your specific interpretation. It should include key words from the question and appear early in your introduction. The thesis should be something arguable but it should be stated as if it is fact.

This question gives you a thesis statement:

‘An individual’s interaction with others and the world around them can enrich or limit their experience of belonging’

This one gives you space to write your own:

Explore how perceptions of belonging and not belonging can be influenced by connections to places.

Topic sentences. A topic sentence is a mini-thesis statement. It should support your thesis the same way that a beautiful corinthian column supports the pediment of a Greek temple: with elegance. It should be concept based rather than focused on a specific text or composer; this will allow you to write integrated paragraphs. Taking the above thesis here are some topic sentences:

1. An individual’s interaction with others can enrich their experience of belonging.

2. An individual’s interaction with the world around them may also enrich their experience of belonging.

3. However, negative interactions with the world and others can limit an individual’s experience of belonging.

These are obvious (and, to be honest, a little dull) however, they support the thesis, leave room for integration, and remind the marker that you’re answering the question. You may also notice that topic sentences 2 and 3 have linking words in them (also, however); this gives the essay flow and helps the argument to hang together. Without them, responses can sometimes read like three or four separate essays rather than a single sustained argument.

Concluding statements. Conclusions are the most difficult part of essay writing and, to make it even harder, they don’t just come at the end of a response. Each paragraph needs a concluding statement that explains how the evidence proffered supports the thesis. A popular way to begin is, “Thus it can be seen that…” however, I prefer something simpler such as a restatement, in different words, of the topic sentence. An example of a concluding statement for the first topic sentence above could be:

Through relationships, individuals find and nurture an enriched sense of identity.

Strong sentences make strong paragraphs, which make strong essays.

1. A message about belonging. Your story needs to be more than just about the theme of belonging, it needs to have a message or a moral, almost like a thesis statement for an essay. The difference between a theme and a message is the difference between a statement of fact and a statement of opinion; for example, “belonging” is a theme; but “people can choose where to belong” is a message. If you’re struggling to make the message clear in your story, you can have your character reflect on what s/he has learned about belonging; however, the best way to do it is through
2. Character development. This needs to be shown through the protagonist’s choices and actions. The audience must be able to see that the protagonist’s sense of belonging, or at least their perception of it, is different at the end of the story from what it was at the beginning. To do this you need a clear
3. Structure. The one I suggest is a three act structure (similar to a film).
1. In Act 1 we are introduced to setting and character; we see the protagonist’s everyday normal world and we find out about their sense of belonging or not belonging.
2. At the beginning of Act 2, something happens to draw the protagonist out of that world or to make him/her look at it differently. This is the challenge to their sense of belonging/not belonging. We also see their response to this challenge.
3.  Act 3 is the resolution. Some possible resolutions include the protagonist finding a new sense of belonging, having their sense of belonging reinforced, realising that they belonged all along, or realising that it’s ok to not belong. No matter how good your character or structure, it won’t get you the marks unless you also
4. Use the stimulus, address the question. The stimulus, whether a quote or an image, needs to be central to your story; don’t just refer to it at the beginning and then ignore it as you get on with regurgitating your memorised narrative. You also need to be aware of the question. Sometimes the instruction is to write about a particular aspect of belonging or to write in a particular textual form. You must also
5. Include literary techniques (but don’t overdo them). Dialogue is a common short story technique and there should be some in your story, particularly in action moments. Starting with dialogue generally isn’t a good plan and don’t overdo the “tags,” screamed Mrs Langford tucking her hair behind her ear as she turned once again to write on the whiteboard. One technique I rarely see, which you should be in a position to use, is literary allusion. You’re studying at least four texts (not including related texts) and you’ve no doubt read others. It’s ok to say someone feels as outcast as a replicant on Earth or as sad as a Danish prince. Some other techniques that I’ve seen used effectively are metaphors and similes (used sparingly to reinforce key ideas or images), sensory imagery (what does belonging smell, taste, sound, or feel like?) and extended metaphors or motifs; which should be introduced in your
6. Title. The title should be short. It should foreshadow and it should intrigue. It’s ok to come up with a title as you write and add it last.

Don’t try to do too much in your story. Too many characters, too many events, too large a time span, or to many ideas will derail your story and ruin your time management. Simpler is better.

I like this idea but it only works if you’re prepared; not just with your textual knowledge and essay writing skill but with a specific strategy for managing your precious time.

Here’s my suggested strategy for Paper 1.

Leave each section as its time expires. If you finish another section early you can go back and complete it.

It is worthwhile investing in a countdown timer to keep track of your timing. Don’t trust in your school’s clock alone as exams can be delayed and start at 9.03.45 (or some other random time) that makes keeping track difficult.