Outcome 3
On completion of this unit the student should be able to understand the nature of exegetical methods and apply them to develop an interpretation of some of the passages for special study.
Step 1: Define the parameters of the outcome and the related assessment task options
Read the outcome and key knowledge and key skills for Unit 3, Area of Study 3. It should be noted that each key knowledge and key skill does not need to be individually identifiable in the task nor should the task focus on too narrow a range of key knowledge and skills.
Step 2: Examine the assessment advice in this handbook
Unpack the performance descriptors, as they provide a clear indication of qualities and characteristics that should be evident in a student response.
A response for this outcome would need to demonstrate an ability to construct one or more of the following in response to one or more of the passages for special study:
- textual notes
- annotated passages
- an exegetical framework report.
Textual notes may include a series of notes derived from classroom learning and extended reading that are organised into the major subheadings found in exegetical analysis in this study:
- literary context
- social context
- historical context
- literary forms and / or techniques
- meaning for the original audience.
To do this for a SAC, teachers may allow students to develop their notes and then write them out under test conditions under the above headings.
An annotated passage requires students to make notes on a passage which indicate an understanding of the major subheadings in exegetical analysis in this study. Students may also add a section which points to meaning for the original audience.
An exegetical framework report is a report where students respond to a passage under subheadings found in exegetical analysis in this study. This is not a complete exegesis but rather a guided analysis of a text.
The skills of exegesis are further developed in Unit 4 Area of Study 1 where a completed exegesis is required.
Step 3: Determining teaching and learning activities
For Unit 3, Area of Study 3, teachers should plan a sequence of teaching and learning activities that will enable students to develop the key knowledge and key skills. This will include opportunities to break down and discuss major ideas and themes, identify and describe contextual placement (including the relevance of sociocultural and historical context), explain literary form and other literary features of the selected passage, and explore how the original audience understood the author’s message.
Teaching and learning activities that could support students to prepare for this assessment include those which involve the following:
Literary contextual placement: students are shown how the passages for special study fit within the entire set text. They should consider features such as how the passage was introduced, how its message arose from a particular event, and what the purpose of its writing might have been. This could also allow students to recognise how a theme is developed across the entire set text and the role this particular passage may have in the development of that theme.
Sociocultural and historical context: students are guided to print and electronic texts that describe the time and conditions of the original audience, noting any significant events of the period. Students should become familiar with the people and places mentioned in the text. Students should consult resources containing commentary on the specific time period. They should pay particular attention to characters, events, locations and beliefs specific to the passage(s) being studied.
Literary aspects: students need to become familiar with the characteristics of literary form and techniques within the set text generally and in the passages for special study particularly. This may be teacher directed or conducted through individual research or group work. In Unit 3, Area of Study 3, students need to reference the actual literary form, structure and / or techniques within a passage for special study, but may not yet be able to explain their significance to the passage, or explain the specific purpose for these techniques. This is further developed in Unit 4, Area of Study 1.
Message for the original audience: the message of a passage is strongly linked to its themes. As the primary purpose of exegesis is to come to an understanding of the meaning of the passage, students need to identify where prescribed themes appear in the set text. They then need to identify those themes as they appear within the passages for special study and examine their meaning and significance for the original audience. This often involves direct reference to situations in the historical setting of the original intended audience.
Step 4: Design the assessment task
Assessment task type: Exegetical annotated passage
Write an exegetical annotated passage of the Gospel according to John Chapter 1:1–18.
This passage is distributed to students at the start of the assessment task on an A3 piece of paper with the passage placed in the centre of the paper. Students will be asked to highlight aspects of the passage which point to the main subheadings as outlined above. They should comment on each highlighted aspect and its relevance to the meaning of the passage as a whole. Students should also, based on their analysis of the passage, identify the meaning for the intended audience with some indication of how the passage responds to the particular audience.
Provide assessment criteria with the task, for example based on the VCAA performance descriptors adapted to suit the context of individual schools.
Other considerations
When to assess the students
Teachers must decide the most appropriate time to set the task. This decision is the result of several considerations including:
- The estimated time it will take to cover the key knowledge and key skills for the outcome.
- That a suitable number of passages for special study have been discussed in class to allow students to have developed an understanding of the techniques and intentions of the exegetical process.
Assessing the task
Performance descriptors provide a guide to the levels of performance typically demonstrated within each range on the assessment task(s). The performance descriptors for each outcome identify the qualities or characteristics expected in a student response. Where a task assesses only an element of an outcome, as it is intended that other assessment tasks will assess the rest of the outcome, then relevant performance descriptors are used to assess the task.
Outcome 2
On completion of this unit the student should be able to discuss themes arising from the passages for special study and analyse their social, cultural, religious and historical context, and the importance of the themes to the original audience.
Step 1: Define the parameters of the outcome and the related assessment task options
Read the outcome and key knowledge and key skills for Unit 4, Area of Study 2. It should be noted that each key knowledge and key skill does not need to be individually identifiable in the task nor should the task focus on too narrow a range of key knowledge and key skills.
Step 2: Examine the assessment performance descriptors
Unpack the performance descriptors, as they provide a clear indication of qualities and characteristics that should be seen in a student response.
The development of skills and knowledge for this outcome should be taught in conjunction with teaching of Unit 3, Outcomes 2 and 3 and Unit 4, Outcome 1. The major themes of the text should be introduced in the overview of the set text. As students explore passages during the development of their exegetical skills, they should also be taking notes on how themes are developing over the set text, especially in the passages for special study. This outcome will then focus their attention on an overview of the theme once their knowledge of the set text has developed.
Step 3: Determining teaching and learning activities
For Unit 4, Area of Study 2, teachers should plan a sequence of teaching and learning activities that will enable students to develop the key knowledge and key skills. This will include opportunities to break down and discuss major ideas and themes, identify and explain contextual placement, explore the relevance of the historical and sociocultural context, and explore the set text’s teaching(s) on particular themes.
Teaching and learning activities that could support students to prepare for this assessment include those which examine the following:
Definition of the theme: students should discover why this theme was relevant to the original intended audience and how that theme was important in the cultural and historical context of the text.
Development of the theme: students should explore how the theme is presented by the text, the ways the text presents the teachings on the theme and how the theme might develop or change in the unfolding of the text.
Key passages: students should know which passages are central to the text’s teaching on the particular theme and the focus of the teaching of each particular text. Attention should be given to how the teaching might vary depending on the audience and setting of a particular moment in the text or a different audience for the text.
Step 4: Design the assessment task
Assessment task type: An essay
Write an essay that explores a particular theme which arises from the set text. Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of the theme to the original audience, the main teaching of the text and the development of the theme in the text. Use relevant passages to illustrate the text’s teachings and refer to scholarship to enhance the essay’s point of view.
Provide assessment criteria with the task based on VCAA performance descriptors.
Other considerations
When to assess the students
Teachers must decide the most appropriate time to set the task. This decision is the result of several considerations including:
- The estimated class time it will take to cover the key knowledge and key skills for the outcome.
- How the students’ knowledge of the theme has developed over the teaching of the passages for special study.
Assessing the task
Performance descriptors provide a guide to the levels of performance typically demonstrated within each range on the assessment task(s). The performance descriptors for each outcome identify the qualities or characteristics expected in a student response for the outcome as a whole. Where a task assesses only an element of an outcome, as it is intended that other assessment tasks will assess the rest of the outcome, then relevant performance descriptors are used to assess the task.
General information
Refer to the relevant sections in the
VCE and VCAL Administrative Handbook (for example: Authentication, School-assessed Coursework, Redeeming outcomes).
Teachers should be familiar with the area of study and outcome statement, relevant key knowledge and key skills, in order to plan for the assessment task. It should be noted that the assessment task does not have to identify every key knowledge and key skill dot point; nor should the task focus on too narrow a range of key knowledge and key skills.
Teachers may develop their own marking schemes for the outcome using the VCAA performance descriptors as a guide.
Teachers must decide the most appropriate time and conditions for conducting this assessment task and inform the students ahead of the date. This decision is a result of several considerations including:
- the estimated time it will take to teach the key knowledge and key skills for the outcome
- the likely length of time required for students to complete the task
- the classroom environment the assessment task will be completed in
- whether the assessment task will be completed under open-book or closed-book conditions
- any additional resources required by students.
Authentication
Most work for the assessment of unit outcomes and School-assessed Coursework will be completed in class; however, this does not preclude normal teacher expectations for students to complete research and learning activities that contribute to gaining key knowledge and skills outside of class time.
A task for the assessment of unit outcomes may require preliminary preparation and activities associated with the task (for example, gathering necessary research data). The amount of work to be completed as homework is decided by the teacher, taking into account the nature, scope and purpose of the task.
For School-assessed Coursework undertaken outside of class time, teachers must monitor and record each student’s progress through to completion.