This document provides guidance on the Area of Study (AOS) of Discovery for an English syllabus. It discusses what the AOS involves, including exploring how texts represent discovery and how it is conveyed through language features. Discovery can include new discoveries, rediscoveries, and realizations through analysis. It notes discoveries can impact individuals and societies and be challenging or transformative. The document outlines what students should consider, like attitudes affirmed or challenged. It provides examples of discoveries related to people, relationships, ideas, etc. It emphasizes discovery as a process that can have triggers, involve experiences, and have consequences. Students should reflect on and speculate about discovery in responses and compositions.

1. Area of Study
(AOS):
Discovery
An Introduction

2. THE RUBRIC…
Prescriptions:
http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/pdf_doc/english-prescriptions-2015-20.pdf
This Area of Study requires students to explore the waysin which
the concept of discoveryis represented in and through texts.
• Go Back to Where You Come From
• ORT – Other Related Texts
• Creative/Imaginative Writing
• Unseen Texts
• Techniques
• Language forms and features
• Context

3. Discovery as a concept?
Breaking it down:
o How texts affirm/confirm attitudes and beliefs
o How texts challenge attitudes and beliefs
o Composing a wide range of texts – you may be asked to respond in various text types and forms i.e. creative,
essay, speech, short answer…
o Responding to a wide range of texts – various texts from various textual forms i.e. poetry, drama, film, prose…
o Discoveries can be made about:
• People
• Relationships
• Societies
• Places
• Events
• Ideas
o Ways – Techniques, language modes, forms, features…
o Students make their own discoveries when analysing texts
o Explore the process of discovery through various techniques

4. Discoveries can:
• be new discoveries - Discoveries can
encompass the experience of discovering
something for the first time
• be rediscoveries something that has been
lost, forgotten or concealed (hidden)
• be sudden and unexpected
• emerge from a process of deliberate and
careful planning
• be evoked by curiosity and wonder
Discovery as a concept?

5. • be confronting and provocative
• lead us to new worlds
• establish new values
• stimulate new ideas
• enable us to speculate about future possibilities
• offer new understandings and renewed perceptions of ourselves and others.
• vary according to personal, cultural, historical and social contexts and values.
• be far-reaching and transformative for the individual and for broader society.
• may be questioned or challenged when viewed from different perspectives
• their worth may be reassessed over time
• the ramifications of particular discoveries may differ for individuals and their
worlds

6. What students have to do…
In their responses and compositions, students examine, question, and reflect and speculate on:
• their own experiences of discovery
• the experience of discovery (and discovering) in and through their engagement with texts
• assumptions underlying various representations of the concept of discovery
• how the concept of discovery is conveyed through the representations of:
• people
• relationships
• Societies
• places
• events
• ideas that they encounter in the prescribed text and other related texts of their own choosing
• how the composer’s choice of language modes, forms, features and structure shapes representations of
discovery and discovering
• the ways in which exploring the concept of discovery may broaden and deepen their understanding of
themselves and their world.

7. Discovery Rubric in Summary
Rubric says consider ‘the ways in which the concept of Discovery is represented in and through texts’
Consider:
• discovery and rediscovery
• discovery may be planned or unplanned evoked by curiosity, necessity, wonder leading to new:
• worlds, values and ideas
• understandings and renewed perceptions of ourselves, others and the world
• can enable us to speculate about future possibilities
• can be, emotional, creative, intellectual, physical and spiritual
• can vary according to personal, cultural, historical and social contexts and values
• can be confronting and challenging
Impact of Discoveries
• may be transformative for the individual and broader society
• can be questioned or challenged when viewed from different perspectives
• may be reassessed over time

8. Stages of Discovery
Discovery is a process –
whether expected or unexpected,
abstract or actual.

9. Triggers
•What lead to the discovery? What started the process? What has motivated the discovery? What was the catalyst?
•Had something been hidden, lost, concealed or forgotten?
•Was it sudden and unexpected or deliberately and carefully planned?
•Was it sparked by desire, curiosity, wonder or out of necessity?
•Were there any intrinsic or extrinsic influences, personal, cultural, social, historical, values and beliefs?
•What values, beliefs or attitudes did the individual have before the discovery?
Experiences
•Was this a new discovery or a rediscovery? Was it a rediscovery that involved reassessing? Was the discovery reassessed overtime?
•What were the meaningful experiences? What were the fresh, emotional, physical, intellectual and/or spiritual experiences?
•What was discovered? Were new worlds, new ideas, new attitudes, new beliefs, new understandings, new opportunities discovered?
•What type of discovery was made, personal, cultural, physical, intellectual, spiritual? Was it a self-discovery or a physical discovery?
•Were discoveries made about individuals, peoples, places, societies, relationships, events, new knowledge?
•Have previously held values, beliefs, attitude been challenged or affirmed? Was anything confronting, provocative, challenging,
daunting, difficult transformative or cathartic?
Consequences
•What was the impact/ramifications of the discovery? Were they far-reaching? How far-reaching? Were the consequences long-term or
short-term?
•Were the consequences positive, negative, neutral? Did they effect individuals, relationships, the boarder society?
•What new insights, values, beliefs, attitudes, outlook and perspectives were gained? Were any of these challenged or affirmed?
•Did the experience offer a sense of rejuvenation, a sense of redemption? Did the discovery lead to a re-evaluation of self or others? Did
the discovery lead to a transformation or altered perspectives?
•Have experience lead to future speculations and future possibilities?
•Did the text contain a moral or didactic message for the responder to discover?

10. Responding Imaginatively
Keep in mind what you have learnt from the Rubric about the concept of
Discovery
and
attempt each one of the following tasks.

11. Remember…
good writers don’t say that it is
raining, they create the feeling of
being rained upon for the reader…
Therefore you must write around
the concept – show, do not tell

12. Example:
The sad echo of hollow drips beat rhythmically on her
faded umbrella. Streaming slowly, sliding gently
and falling tearfully onto the pale skin of her
outstretched palm.
Never is the word
rainmentioned…but
we still know that it is
raining.

13. Image One
You have discovered a lost Kitten
in a drain.
In four to five sentences “show”
what you see, hear, feel and
smell?
You are not allowed to use the words
Kitten or Cat, or any other synonym.

14. Image TwoYou have just discovered chocolate for
the first time. You have never tasted
this food before.
In four to five sentence “show” the
experience of eating this delicious treat
for the first time.
You must “show” its taste, smell and
texture.
You are not allowed to use the words
sweet and chocolate.

15. Image Three
You have discovered this never-
before-seen photograph of your
Grandfather.
In four to five sentences “show” what
you see and “show” your emotional
response to this discovery?
You are not allowed to use the words
photograph, discover, or soldier.

16. Image Four
You find the following box. What is
hidden inside?
In four to five sentences “show” the
box and what you discover inside.
You are not allowed to use the words
old, small, big, large, wood, or
wooden. You may only use the word
box in conjunction with an adjective.

17. Image Five
You remember the first time you were
allowed beyond the back fence.
In four to five sentences “show” how you
feel and “show” what you discover?
You are not allowed to use the words
scared, excited, or happy. You may only
use the words fence, and gate if you’re
creating a metaphor / simile /
personification / allusion / etc...

18. Image Six
You find your old teddy bear from when you
were a small child.
In four to five sentences “show” your
emotional response to this discovery – and
“show” how the teddy bear feels and looks?
You are not allowed to use the words sad,
happy, old or fluffy. You may only use the
words teddy/bear, if you’re creating a
figurative language technique.