Head Start for VCE 2025

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Resources

To prepare for your 2025 VCE studies at CHES the orientation documents and summer learning can be found on this page. Additional tasks and learning sites are also available under each subject. It is important that you complete the compulsory tasks as instructed by your teacher.

All CHES students will receive an email to set up your Teams and Class accounts at the end of January. Enjoy your summer and we look forward to seeing you in 2025!  

Algorithmics
Units 3 & 4

Extended Investigation
Units 3 & 4

Orientation Tasks

  1. Slides 1-7 Key dates and Teachers (Read Page 1 of booklet)
  2. Slides 8-15 Critical Thinking – decide on strong/weak arguments and watch video – strong or weak arguments?
  3. Slides 16-19 Introduction to research and research journal. (Read Page 7-10 of booklet)
  4. Complete Page 8 with your initial ideas.
  5. Sign up to the free SLV membership using personal email (lifelong access!)

Summer Learning Tasks

  1. Read orientation booklet and follow instructions on the final page.
  2. Start your journal – can be electronic or handwritten notes (Read Page 9 of booklet). Brainstorming ideas for your topic(s) and recording the references of sources accessed.
  3. Use the SLV databases along with The Conversation, ABC etc. to begin researching your potential topics.
  4. Use the evaluation template (Page 10) to help make notes when reading sources over the holidays. You can adapt this template to suit your reading.
  5. Optional task – complete the Critical Thinking Tasks in the orientation booklet.

Resources

By Term 1 2025 You should have read widely on your topic and have identified possible ideas for your research question BUT this will be developed in the first few weeks of term.

English Language
Units 1 - 2

Orientation Tasks

Units 1 & 2 Welcome PPT

  1. Note down the key SAC weeks and Seminar Days from the 2025 timeline.
  2. Watch the ‘Functions of Language’ video on slide 8. Note down the different parts of a communicative act and the names of the functions that target them.
  3. Read the summary notes on slides 9 and 10.
  4. Take note of the changes to Week 1 – 3 in Term 1 on slide 17.

Holiday Homework

  1. Learn the compulsory metalanguage for the beginning of Term 1
    • Use the Quizlet list to revise this metalanguage here
    • There will be a test in week 1
  2. Complete the Develop your understanding 1.3 activity from the Insight textbook (pg. 10). 

English Language
Units 3 - 4

Orientation Tasks

Unts 3 & 4 Welcome PPT

  1. Note down the key SAC weeks and Seminar Days from the 2025 timeline.
  2. Read the summary notes on slides 8 – 10, taking note of what formality is and what language features contribute to formality.
  3. Complete ‘Develop Your Understanding 2.1’ on slide 11.
  4. Read the summary notes on slides 9 and 10.
  5. Take note of the changes to Week 1 – 3 in Term 1 on slide 21.

Holiday Homework

Revise/learn the compulsory metalanguage from Year 11

    • Use the Quizlet list available here to revise
    • There will be a test in week 1
    • Students new to EL are advised to consult the QR code on page 1 of the Insight Units 3 & 4 textbook. A photocopy of this task has been provided on this webpage

Scrapbook Activity: Throughout Units 3 and 4 of English Language, you will need to be keeping up to date with language use in Australia and what people are saying about it. To kick this off, please complete the following:

  • Locate one text that you would deem ‘informal’ and one ‘formal’ text.
    1. It can be spoken or written
    2. When searching for informal or formal texts, consider the context where you would find these different levels of formality
    3. You may record your own linguistic evidence (e.g. a conversation), but be mindful of using linguistic evidence that might require consent
  • Using the table on slide 20, annotate the texts’ sociolinguistic variables and any language features that support the text’s register.
    1. Tip: When selecting the language features, try to strike a balance between ‘range’ (features from a variety of subsystems) and ‘salient’ (features that are striking)
    2. Note: sample annotations can be found on slides 18 – 19

Additional Readings

  • All students new to English Language are advised to read Chapter 1 of Insight’s VCE Units 3 & 4 Textbook. The QR code on page 1 contains revision notes for the metalanguage from Units 1 & 2.
  • New students may also like to read chapters 1 – 4 of Insight’s VCE Units 1 & 2 Textbook for a more detailed understanding.
  • All students studying Units 3 & 4 English Language are recommended to read Chapter 1 of Insight’s VCE Units 3 & 4 Textbook 

Specialist Mathematics
Units 1 - 2

  1. Take note of the planned course outline. Note that this is subject to change.
  2. Take note of the information in the Cambridge digital instructions for orientation
  3. Complete each task set out in the 2025 Specialist Maths Units 1 and 2 – Summer work file. This includes a questionnaire covering your background in Maths, a number of set exercises from your textbook, and if appropriate for you, may also include questions from the 1-2 Summer Holiday Challenge Questions file. Note that any challenge questions should be attempted without technology.
  4. If you did not attend orientation, complete the additional tasks set out in the 2025 Specialist Maths Units 1 and 2 – Orientation extra catch-up file. This includes an additional survey and a short test, which you must complete under the required conditions. Please read the instructions in the catch-up file carefully before accessing the test.
  5. Keep all textbook and challenge work you complete over the summer organised, as you will need to review it at the start of Term 1 2025.

Resources

  1.  

Specialist Mathematics
Units 3 - 4

  1. Take note of the planned course outline. Note that this is subject to change.
  2. Take note of the information in the Cambridge digital instructions for orientation
  3. Complete each task set out in the 2025 Specialist Maths Units 3 and 4 – Summer work file. This includes a questionnaire covering your background in Maths, a number of set exercises from your textbook, and if appropriate for you, may also include questions from the 3-4 Summer Holiday Challenge Questions file. Note that any challenge questions should be attempted without technology. It is strongly recommended that you start using and become familiar with the Specialist Maths formula sheet as you complete your set work.
  4. If you did not attend orientation, complete the additional tasks set out in the 2025 Specialist Maths Units 3 and 4 – Orientation extra catch-up file. This includes an additional survey and a short test, which you must complete under the required conditions. Please read the instructions in the catch-up file carefully before accessing the test.
  5. Keep all textbook and challenge work you complete over the summer organised, as you will need to review it at the start of Term 1 2025.

Resources

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