VCE Book Club

VCE book club

English Tutoring focusing on VCE English Texts

Year 12s have to take VCE English. Whether they like English or not.

Whether they understand the books or not. 

Whether they even read the books or not.

If they’re planning to go to uni and need an ATAR, English is a compulsory subject that must be taken. (Or Literature or English Language – but English is by far the most popular.)

There’s no way around it.

English and your ATAR

To get a good ATAR, students must do well in English throughout the year and the end-of-year exam, as the English study score is the only subject that’s a compulsory inclusion in their ATAR calculation.

Regardless of whether that final English score is in the 40s or the 20s, it’s counted.

We know students are much, much more than the sum of their ATAR. 

But here’s the thing: Most students want a good ATAR, and to achieve this, they need to do well in English throughout the year and also in the all-important end-of-year exam.

They need to write well… but even before that, students need to have something to write about.

In Unit 3&4 English, they must have a deep understanding of several texts.

Why students don't read their English texts

Let’s be honest; not everyone enjoys the thrill of opening a book and losing themself in its pages.

  • Some students don’t actually read the novel before they start studying it in class… and by that time they’re already at a disadvantage.

  • Year 12 races by in only three terms, not four, and with the exception of a few plays and short stories, there is simply no time to get through the curriculum AND read the text in class. Teachers rely on students to have done the groundwork and read the text in their own time before they start teaching a unit.

  • Other students rely on watching the movie instead of reading the book. That’s if one even exists – but most films bear little resemblance to the original writing and this leads to confusion.

  • Or they’re being careful to keep their books in good shape so they can sell them on eBay as soon as school’s done… because most will never want to read them again!

Read your texts to write well

The thing is: to write effectively and write deeply on a text you need to know it deeply, and you need to understand it well. 

A student’s novel or play should be well-worn and well-loved… dog-eared, underlined, highlighted and annotated.

The student should know what happens in which part of the book so that they can locate things quickly. They should have a thorough understanding of how characters are connected and the sequence of events. They should be able to identify themes and symbols and be able to find examples of significant moments or memorable quotes.

Only then will they be able to successfully analyse a text according to an essay prompt. 

Or respond creatively. 

Or compare and contrast ideas between two different texts. 

Or write a timed response well under pressure.

Read your texts to avoid exam freeze

In the VCE end-of-year exam, students will compose three complete pieces of writing in three hours. 

Before they are allowed to pick up their pen, they’ll have 15 minutes of reading time. In this time they’ll read and think through several different prompt options on their studied texts, and select two they will write on. (There’s also an article they’ll have to read to address the argument section of the exam, which takes up part of this vital reading-and-decision-making time.) 

It’s crucial to have a solid knowledge of each text so they can quickly and confidently make the right choices and get ready to write. 

Imagine being frozen before a blur of complex questions that don’t make any sense.

Then of course, the student must do the writing. 

Not general, superficial, glossing-over-the-surface writing, but meaningful, insightful analyses.

The answer for reluctant readers

We have come full circle. A good ATAR has at its foundation a solid understanding of your English texts. If you’re a student who:

  • Dislikes reading
  • Finds it hard to get through a whole book on your own
  • Loses focus and forgets what’s happening
  • Feel like you’re drowning in a sea of words that swim on the page 
  • Find it difficult to grasp the language and key ideas of a text
  • Don’t want to go it alone
  • Or just want to be as prepared as you can for Year 12…

VCE Book Club could be for you!

Get a head start on your VCE texts by joining one of our

VCE Book Club Deep Dives!

How does it work?

  • Book into a Deep Dive for a text you’re studying
    Each Deep Dive is made up of ten 75-minute sessions
  • Grab your text and a drink, and log in for a 75-minute live online group
  • The text is read to you aloud live* with expression and passion (no monotones or robot voices!)
  • Follow along with your own copy of the text
  • Key ideas, character, themes, plot points, elements or symbols, settings, values are unpacked each session
  • Q&A session at the end where you can ask a question live, or
    post it in the chat

*While the majority of titles on the VCE English list can be read and unpacked in 10 sessions, there are a small number that are longer. Where this is the case, you’ll be provided with 75-min pre-recorded audio or video supplements to catch up with in between sessions when it suits you.

e.g. All the Light We Cannot See takes around 17 hours to read aloud; to do this together, we’d need way more than ten sessions!

The extra recordings allows us to keep the Deep Dive to a concise, compacted number of sessions over a few weeks so that you’ve read even the lengthiest book on the list before the start of the school year.

Deep Dive benefits

  • A good understanding of the text before you study it in class – now you can focus your class time in honing your writing
  • Opportunities to ask questions
  • A safe environment – no pressure on you to read or to speak or discuss, but you are most welcome to do any of these things if you want to

What do I get?

  • Ten sessions in which the whole text is read to you and key elements explained
  • A graphic organiser pack for making summary notes as we read
  • Additional audio/video recordings for longer texts
  • Exclusive access to refresher videos in September in the lead-up to your English exam to refocus you before that “one day in October”

When do Deep Dives run?

Deep Dives are designed to prepare you so you can hit the ground running when school starts.

They run in summer over December-January with a break for celebrating Christmas/New Year. 🎁🎄🎇

The ten sessions typically run twice a week, over two weeks in December, and three weeks in January.

What does a Deep Dive cost?

  • $170 for a single text. That’s only $17 a session!

    A 15% discount is available if you book more than one text.

What if I want/need more help?

We’ve got you! You can book in a regular 1+1 Session on the text of your choice.
 
🏆  1+1 Sessions run during school terms. Bookings are open now for Term 1, 2022 onwards. 

30-minute slots can be booked on a per-term basis throughout the year.
Bring your questions, revise ideas or read the text together – it’s your time!


Places for 2022 are filling now. Register your interest here.

FAQs

Great question! Audiobooks are awesome and we highly recommend them!

VCE Book Club is so much more though…

  1. The book is being read live with you. That means it’ll be easier to stay focused as you listen.
  2. You’ll experience it over a number of weeks so you can absorb it in chunks.
  3. Each week we’ll talk through those important elements of character, plot, themes, setting, symbols, values, ideas etc. so by the time we’ve finished, you’ll have a really good understanding of the text.
  4. You can ask questions about things you’re unsure of or confused about!
  5. You’re walking through the text with a qualified English teacher – but more than that, someone who’s a self-confessed bookworm who loves to read! Hear a book read with passion and great expression and you just might enjoy it… 😉

You’re right – there are tons of resources everywhere!

But let’s be real here. If you’re struggling to read the actual book, are you really going to push through all the other material too – and even if you do, will it make sense and will you retain it?

Just a thought. 🙂

Absolutely! A text is a text wherever you study it, and we’d love to have you!

At the moment our group Deep Dives are only for the texts set by VCAA for Unit 3&4 English.

But our 1+1 Sessions might work for you! 

🏆  1+1 Sessions run during school terms. Bookings are open now for Term 1, 2022 onwards. 

30-minute slots can be booked on a per-term basis throughout the year.
Bring your questions, revise ideas or read the text together – it’s your time!

Places for 2022 are filling now. Register your interest here.

Absolutely! Deep Dive sessions are perfect to help you really understand the key ideas and language of the text.

Or you might like our 1+1 Sessions where it will be just you and me talking about the text together.

🏆  1+1 Sessions run during school terms. Bookings are open now for Term 1, 2022 onwards. 

30-minute slots can be booked on a per-term basis throughout the year.
Bring your questions, revise ideas or read the text together – it’s your time!

Places for 2022 are filling now. Register your interest here.

Let’s talk! Get in touch here.

Yes! Help me deep dive into my English texts!

Register my interest

Year 12s have to take VCE English. Whether they like English or not.

Whether they understand the books or not. 

Whether they even read the books or not.

If they’re planning to go to uni and need an ATAR, English is a compulsory subject that must be taken.

(Or Literature or English Language – but English is by far the most popular.)

There’s no way around it.

Year 12s have to take VCE English. Whether they like English or not.

Whether they understand the books or not. 

Whether they even read the books or not.

If they’re planning to go to uni and need an ATAR, English is a compulsory subject that must be taken.

(Or Literature or English Language – but English is by far the most popular.)

There’s no way around it.

English and your ATAR

To get a good ATAR, students must do well in English throughout the year and the end-of-year exam, as the English study score is the only subject that’s a compulsory inclusion in their ATAR calculation.

Regardless of whether that final English score is in the 40s or the 20s, it’s counted.

We know students are much, much more than the sum of their ATAR. 

But here’s the thing: Most students want a good ATAR, and to achieve this, they need to do well in English throughout the year and also in the all-important end-of-year exam.

They need to write well… but even before that, students need to have something to write about.

In Unit 3&4 English, they must have a deep understanding of several texts.

English and your ATAR

To get a good ATAR, students must do well in English throughout the year and the end-of-year exam, as the English study score is the only subject that’s a compulsory inclusion in their ATAR calculation.

Regardless of whether that final English score is in the 40s or the 20s, it’s counted.

We know students are much, much more than the sum of their ATAR. 

But here’s the thing: Most students want a good ATAR, and to achieve this, they need to do well in English throughout the year and also in the all-important end-of-year exam.

They need to write well… but even before that, students need to have something to write about.

In Unit 3&4 English, they must have a deep understanding of several texts.

Why students don't read their English texts

Let’s be honest; not everyone enjoys the thrill of opening a book and losing themself in its pages.

  • Some students don’t actually read the novel before they start studying it in class… and by that time they’re already at a disadvantage.

  • Year 12 races by in only three terms, not four, and with the exception of a few plays and short stories, there is simply no time to get through the curriculum AND read the text in class. Teachers rely on students to have done the groundwork and read the text in their own time before they start teaching a unit.

  • Other students rely on watching the movie instead of reading the book. That’s if one even exists – but most films bear little resemblance to the original writing and this leads to confusion.

  • Or they’re being careful to keep their books in good shape so they can sell them on eBay as soon as school’s done… because most will never want to read them again!

Read your texts to write well

The thing is: to write effectively and write deeply on a text you need to know it deeply, and you need to understand it well. 

A student’s novel or play should be well-worn and well-loved… dog-eared, underlined, highlighted and annotated.

The student should know what happens in which part of the book so that they can locate things quickly. They should have a thorough understanding of how characters are connected and the sequence of events. They should be able to identify themes and symbols and be able to find examples of significant moments or memorable quotes.

Only then will they be able to successfully analyse a text according to an essay prompt. 

Or respond creatively. 

Or compare and contrast ideas between two different texts. 

Or write a timed response well under pressure.

Read your texts to avoid exam freeze

In the VCE end-of-year exam, students will compose three complete pieces of writing in three hours. 

Before they are allowed to pick up their pen, they’ll have 15 minutes of reading time. In this time they’ll read and think through several different prompt options on their studied texts, and select two they will write on.

(There’s also an article they’ll have to read to address the argument section of the exam, which takes up part of this vital reading-and-decision-making time.) 

It’s crucial to have a solid knowledge of each text so they can quickly and confidently make the right choices and get ready to write. 

Imagine being frozen before a blur of complex questions that don’t make any sense.

Then of course, the student must do the writing. 

Not general, superficial, glossing-over-the-surface writing, but meaningful, insightful analyses.

The answer for reluctant readers

We have come full circle. A good ATAR has at its foundation a solid understanding of your English texts. If you’re a student who:

  • Dislikes reading
  • Finds it hard to get through a whole book on your own
  • Loses focus and forgets what’s happening
  • Feel like you’re drowning in a sea of words that swim on the page 
  • Find it difficult to grasp the language and key ideas of a text
  • Don’t want to go it alone
  • Or just want to be as prepared as you can for Year 12…

VCE Book Club could be for you!

Get a head start on your VCE texts by joining one of our VCE Book Club Deep Dives!

How does it work?

  • Book into a Deep Dive for a text you’re studying
    Each Deep Dive is made up of ten 75-minute sessions
  • Grab your text and a drink, and log in for a 75-minute live online group
  • The text is read to you aloud live* with expression and passion (no monotones or robot voices!)
  • Follow along with your own copy of the text
  • Key ideas, character, themes, plot points, elements or symbols, settings, values are unpacked each session
  • Q&A session at the end where you can ask a question live, or
    post it in the chat

*While the majority of titles on the VCE English list can be read and unpacked in 10 sessions, there are a small number that are longer. Where this is the case, you’ll be provided with 75-min pre-recorded audio or video supplements to catch up with in between sessions when it suits you.

e.g. All the Light We Cannot See takes around 17 hours to read aloud; to do this together, we’d need way more than ten sessions!

The extra recordings allows us to keep the Deep Dive to a concise, compacted number of sessions over a few weeks so that you’ve read even the lengthiest book on the list before the start of the school year.

Deep Dive benefits

  • A good understanding of the text before you study it in class – now you can focus your class time in honing your writing
  • Opportunities to ask questions
  • A safe environment – no pressure on you to read or to speak or discuss, but you are most welcome to do any of these things if you want to

What do I get?

  • Ten sessions in which the whole text is read to you and key elements explained
  • A graphic organiser pack for making summary notes as we read
  • Additional audio/video recordings for longer texts
  • Exclusive access to refresher videos in September in the lead-up to your English exam to refocus you before that “one day in October”

When do Deep Dives run?

Deep Dives are designed to prepare you so you can hit the ground running when school starts.

They run over December-January with a break for celebrating Christmas/New Year. 🎁🎄🎇

The ten session typically run twice a week, over two weeks in December, and three weeks in January.

What does a Deep Dive cost?

  • $170 for a single text. That’s only $17 a session!

    A 15% discount is available if you book more than one text.

What if I want/need more help?

We’ve got you! You can book in a regular 1+1 Session on the text of your choice.
30-minute slots can be booked on a per-term basis throughout the year.
Bring your questions, revise ideas or read the text together – it’s your time!


Limited 2022 slots are filling now. Register your interest here.

How does it work?

  • Book into a Deep Dive for a text you’re studying
    Each Deep Dive is made up of ten 75-minute sessions
  • Grab your text and a drink, and log in for a 75-minute live online group
  • The text is read to you aloud live* with expression and passion (no monotones or robot voices!)
  • Follow along with your own copy of the text
  • Key ideas, character, themes, plot points, elements or symbols, settings, values are unpacked each session
  • Q&A session at the end where you can ask a question live, or
    post it in the chat

*While the majority of titles on the VCE English list can be read and unpacked in 10 sessions, there are a small number that are longer. Where this is the case, you’ll be provided with 75-min pre-recorded audio or video supplements to catch up with in between sessions when it suits you.

e.g. All the Light We Cannot See takes around 17 hours to read aloud; to do this together, we’d need way more than ten sessions!

The extra recordings allows us to keep the Deep Dive to a concise, compacted number of sessions over a few weeks so that you’ve read even the lengthiest book on the list before the start of the school year.

Deep Dive benefits

  • A good understanding of the text before you study it in class – now you can focus your class time in honing your writing
  • Opportunities to ask questions
  • A safe environment – no pressure on you to read or to speak or discuss, but you are most welcome to do any of these things if you want to

What do I get?

  • Ten sessions in which the whole text is read to you and key elements explained
  • A graphic organiser pack for making summary notes as we read
  • Additional audio/video recordings for longer texts
  • Exclusive access to refresher videos in September in the lead-up to your English exam to refocus you before that “one day in October”

When do Deep Dives run?

Deep Dives are designed to prepare you so you can hit the ground running when school starts.

They run over December-January with a break for celebrating Christmas/New Year. 🎁🎄🎇

The ten session typically run twice a week, over two weeks in December, and three weeks in January.

What does a Deep Dive cost?

  • $170 for a single text. That’s only $17 a session!

    A 15% discount is available if you book more than one text.

What if I want/need more help?

We’ve got you! You can book in a regular 1+1 Session on the text of your choice.
30-minute slots can be booked on a per-term basis throughout the year.
Bring your questions, revise ideas or read the text together – it’s your time!


Limited 2022 slots are filling now. Register your interest here.

FAQs

Great question! Audiobooks are awesome and we highly recommend them!

VCE Book Club is so much more though…

  1. The book is being read live with you. That means it’ll be easier to stay focused as you listen.
  2. You’ll experience it over a number of weeks so you can absorb it in chunks.
  3. Each week we’ll talk through those important elements of character, plot, themes, setting, symbols, values, ideas etc. so by the time we’ve finished, you’ll have a really good understanding of the text.
  4. You can ask questions about things you’re unsure of or confused about!
  5. You’re walking through the text with a qualified English teacher – but more than that, someone who’s a self-confessed bookworm who loves to read! Hear a book read with passion and great expression and you just might enjoy it… 😉

You’re right – there are tons of resources everywhere!

But let’s be real here. If you’re struggling to read the actual book, are you really going to push through all the other material too – and even if you do, will it make sense and will you retain it?

Just a thought. 🙂

Absolutely! A text is a text wherever you study it, and we’d love to have you!

At the moment our group Deep Dives are only for the texts set by VCAA for Unit 3&4 English.

But one-on-one sessions might work for you! Send us a message here.

Absolutely! Deep Dive sessions are perfect to help you really understand the key ideas and language of the text.

Or you might like our one-on-one sessions where it will be just you and me talking about the text together.

Let’s talk! Get in touch here.

Yes! Help me deep dive into my English texts!

Register my interest