1. Western Springs College Level Two English
Achievement Standard 91104 v1 Analyse significant
connections across texts, supported by evidence
‘Now, you connect the dots’
Credits: 4 Assessment: internal
This achievement standard involves analysing significant connections across texts,
supported by evidence.
Achievement Criteria
Achievement Achievement with Merit Achievement with
Excellence
Analyse significant Analyse significant Analyse significant
connections across connections across texts connections across texts
texts, supported by convincingly, supported perceptively, supported
evidence. by evidence. by evidence.
Explanatory Notes:
Analyse significant connections across texts involves recognising and interpreting
connections across texts.
Analyse significant connections convincingly across texts involves developing reasoned
and clear interpretations of connections across texts.
Analyse significant connections perceptively across texts involves developing insightful
and/or original interpretations of connections across texts.
Significant connections are connections of importance and consequence and may relate
to:
• purposes and audiences
• ideas
• language features
• structures.
Supported by evidence refers to the use of specific and relevant details from the text to
support analysis.
At least four texts (written, oral and/or visual; short and/or extended) must be included.
The texts selected for study may be any combination of written, visual and/or oral. At
least one text must be student selected.

2. The theme for this year is:
“When Worlds Collide”
which focuses on the idea of conflict. This may be conflict that is happening in someone’s
mind or emotions (internal conflict) or conflict that occurs between people or cultures or nations
(external conflict).
Instructions for Writing your Logs
You will need to write about four texts in total. Three of these may be texts studied in class
but one must be a text you have chosen yourself. Any ‘own choice’ texts must be
extended texts – novels or biographies. Always check with your teacher that your chosen
text is at the appropriate level and relates sufficiently well to the theme.
You will keep your logs for each text in a clearfile and will be given the deadline for each
one by your teacher. When the log has been checked and returned to you, fill in the grid at
the front of your folder and your teacher will stamp it as COMPLETED
In term three, you will write a report analysing the significant connections across these
four texts. You will be given detailed instructions about how to do this, and an exemplar,
before you begin.

3. Read the exemplar carefully before beginning.
Head up each of your four logs this way:
Text Number: __________ Date:_______________________
Title ____________________________________________________
Author ___________________________________________________
Begin with a brief introduction giving details of the text and explaining the
nature of the conflict you will be discussing.
In your first paragraph, describe the conflict, explaining who is involved and
saying briefly how it develops in the text.
In your second paragraph, explain whether or not the conflict is resolved by
the end of the text. If it is resolved, explain how the resolution occurs. If not,
explain why a resolution was not possible.
In your third paragraph, explain how at least one language feature has been
used to effectively ‘craft’ the text. Identify the technique and explain why the
author has used it, giving at least two examples from the text.
In your fourth paragraph, identify the author’s theme or message i.e. explain
what you think he/she is trying to teach us about the nature of conflict, its
causes, its manifestations and/or its effects.

4. Exemplar
Text Number: One Date: 25th March, 2012
Title: The God Boy Author: Ian Cross
Begin with a brief introduction giving details of the text and explaining the nature of the conflict you will be
discussing.
This New Zealand novel, first published in 1957, is considered a classic because of its realistic
treatment of domestic violence and the psychological impact this conflict has on the children within
the family, especially the youngest child Jimmy Sullivan.
In your first paragraph, describe the conflict, explaining who is involved and saying briefly how it develops
in the text.
In this novel, the main character Jimmy Sullivan is not one of the partners in the conflict but
becomes increasingly affected by the deterioration of his parent’s relationship and the ensuing
arguments in the home. His father, who we only know as Mr Sullivan, is a drinker, and often
taunts and abuses his wife, blaming her for his own inadequacies and failures. Jimmy explains it
by saying: “ Dad drinks, you know and Mum gets iffy. It’s been going on for years, but these
last two years it’s worse. Dad keeps saying she dragged him down, and she says that he
never was up…They go on like that, and I can’t understand, really I can’t, what it’s all
about, and yet I feel terrible.” He copes with the endless arguments by using a series of
“protection tricks” which are ways of distracting himself and coping with the physical symptoms
of stress he is experiencing.
The conflict becomes increasingly unpleasant between the parents, and the arguments and
contemptuous exchanges more frequent, until a situation develops where Mr Sullivan tries to grab
his wife and she pulls away with such violence that she falls down the steps. Jimmy is horrified
and sickened by the incident and the fact that her face “is white as chalk.” Then in the evening
over dinner, Mr Sullivan becomes increasingly abusive to his wife, calling her an “ignorant slob”
and saying that women like her need “a boot in their backsides.” At this point, Mrs Sullivan
whispers, “if you don’t stop that I’ll kill you.”
In your second paragraph, explain whether or not the conflict is resolved by the end of the text. If it is
resolved, explain how the resolution occurs. If not, explain why a resolution was not possible.
The conflict is not resolved between the parents but it comes to an end when, during the night,
Mrs Sullivan murders her husband. This is revealed to the viewer only obliquely. It is
foreshadowed by a haunting dream Jimmy has during the night, and only suggested to the reader
by Mrs Sullivan’s demeanour and behaviour in the morning. Jimmy goes to school as usual but
faints in class because of the emotional stress he has suffered, and his distress about his
mother’s odd behaviour. “Then there was nothing but a warm floating red all around me and I
lay back and drifted as though I was going to sleep.” The end of the conflict between his
parents is not a resolution for Jimmy unfortunately. After his mother is imprisoned, he is put in an
orphanage, where he is occasionally visited by his sister, and although he pretends to be strong, it
is obvious that he has been permanently damaged by the conflict between his parents and the
resulting traumatic events.
In your third paragraph, explain how at least one language feature has been used to effectively ‘craft’ the
text. Identify the technique and explain why the author has used it, giving at least two examples from the
text.
One technique that Cross has used effectively is imagery. In order to make us believe we are
hearing the authentic voice of a 10year old boy in the 1950s, he has Jimmy use childish and often
outdated similes: “she looked like a white gollywog with half the stuffing taken out of it,” to

5. describe his sister Molly’s mood, or “he had a nose like a hen’s beak” to describe Father
Gilligan. These are expressions which are based on the legitimate experience of a child of that
time, and help create a credible portrait of young Jimmy.
Another technique used effectively is the use of idiomatic expressions of the time, such as: “I got
the thin end of the purse” an expression which means to get the worst part of a bargain, or “I
would scream blue murder” which means to yell extremely loudly. Expressions like these, and
“he was a chip off the old block,” meaning he looked just like his father, have been chosen by
Ian Cross to place the text firmly in its setting: rural New Zealand in the 1950s.
In your fourth paragraph, identify the author’s theme or message i.e. explain what you think he/she is trying
to teach us about the nature of conflict, its causes, its manifestations and/or its effects.
Cross’s theme in this novel is very clearly focussed on the impact of domestic violence. I think Ian
Cross is trying to show us that domestic conflict that is expressed openly and often in front of
children can cause on-going physical and emotional trauma. Jimmy has all the symptoms of
shock when his parents are fighting: racing heart, clammy skin and cold hands and feet, and it is
obvious when he begins swearing, destroying property and throwing stones at people, that he is
also emotionally unbalanced. “I was holding my ground under attack from all my enemies,
lashing out at them until they killed me, not giving a damn.”
Although later in the orphanage he pretends that he doesn’t care about his present situation, or
what happened between his parents, it is obvious that he has been profoundly damaged by the
experience. His neurotic insistence on being tough, his obsessions and his outbursts of violence
make it clear that he is haunted still: “And ever since then, even when I can’t sleep because of
this good memory of mine, I tell myself how strong I am, that nothing will ever really get me
down.”
Timeline for completion of logs
Term Type of Log Due Date
1 Short Story ‘The Doll’s House’ Weeks 1 and 2
1 Film studied in class Teacher will advise
1 Own choice extended text End of term
2 Written text studied in class Teacher will advise
2 Report completed Weeks 9 and 10

6. ACHIEVEMENT STANDARD 91104
Analyse significant connections across texts, supported by evidence
4 credits
This cover sheet must be placed at the front of your clearfile. Each time you complete a
written log for a text, record it on this sheet before you hand it in for marking. Your teacher
will stamp the completed column when the log is checked.
Title of Text, including name of author or Date Completed
director
1. ( Written / visual /oral)
2. (Written / visual /oral)
3. (Written / visual /oral)
4. (Written / visual /oral)
Written Report:
4 credits gained Yes / No