We Have the Perfect Life. I Have the Best Parents and the Best Neighbours, Especially

Happy Days

We have the perfect life. I have the best parents and the best neighbours, especially Miss Turner who lives behind us. Royce is dads blue heeler dog, apart from me and mum he loves nothing else more in the world. Mum however does not love Royce as much as dad, he is forever digging up her rose garden and grass. Dad spends endless hours on weekends washing and brushing his pride and joy.

Just like every Saturday arvo dad was watching the footy with a beer in his hand, yelling and abusing the opposition. Mum was fixing up her destroyed garden, thanks to Royce. "Arrrgh that dog, I'll kill him one day!", that always got a laugh from dad, as she slaved away on her hands and knees. I was kicking the footy around with Barry, my best mate. We always simulated kicking the winning goal, "Matthew Lloyd lines up to win the match...", 'thud' over the fence the ball goes. Miss Turner always returning the ball with a smile, "One day I'll see you two on TV" she would joke.

Miss Turner loved her tomato bushes. Every year she entered her prize tomatoes into the Royal Show and won first place. Me and Barry were kicking the footy and Royce was trying to catch it. Barry went for thewinner, we stood there watching the ball sail through the air. Right into Miss Turners tomato bushes, "Oh No! !" Barry yelled running after it. ButRoyce, he was already over the fence in the garden, big red bullets flying everywhere. Miss Turner returned home to find her tomatoes ruined two weeks before the Royal show. After her numerous apologies from us, she assured mum it was ok.

That night mum was furious with dad, "That bloody dog must go!" later I laid in bed listening to the two of them bicker about Royce.The next morning I awoke at nine. That's strange, normally Royce wakes me up at the crack of dawn for his morning walk. Immediately I thought something was wrong. I rushed out the back. When to my horror I saw Royce lying down, headless. I screamed and mum and dad came running out. "What's going on?" dad said as he saw Royce lying there his face froze up as if he had seen a ghost. He dropped to the ground "this was you wasn't it!" dad squeezed out pointing his shaking finger at mum. Mum shockingly just turned around and walked into the kitchen. That was a sad morning in our 'perfect' household, mum and dad did not talk to each other for days and when they did it just turned into a fight. A week later mum and dad split up, mum stayed with aunty Karen in the city. How could everything be so good then turn to upside down.

It was Saturday arvo, but none like any other. Dad was watching the footy with his beer, but no mum or Royce.The only way to escape this grief was footy, as I lined up the goal to win the grand final. "Hird lines up to win the grand final..." I muttered. "He's got it!" as the ball went sailing over Miss Turners fence. As Miss Turner wasn't home I had to fetch the footy my self I jumped the fence and scouted her yard. As I looked aroundI saw something red in the corner of my eye. I walked over to the shed were my footy sat. As I picked it up I saw the shed door was open. So curiously I pushed the door. The dark gloomy shed swung open with a deafening scream. I walked around looking for the light switch on the grubby walls. 'Crack', I kicked something over. I finally found the switch and turned it on, much to my horror...

The ground was covered in blood. I look around the small rickety shed, dogs heads strung all around. I see Royce's head and. I scream in horror. As I go to run I trip over something, an axe! Horrified I try to get up hands and legs covered in red, thick, smelly blood. 'SLAM', the door, I looked up to see Miss Turner standing there with a sadistic smile on her old sagging face. "He didn't even yelp" she said as she reaches for her axe.

Word count: 730

Writer’s Statement

The assignment completed is based on the "crime" genre.

"Happy Days" is the story of a suburban family, who live the "perfect" life before been rocked by the death of the family dog. The mother is the suspect but when the boy is looking for his ball in the next door neighbour’s he discovers the killer. The story then ends with "as she reached for her axe", this leaves the viewer wanting more and compelled to think the worst.

The title "Happy Days" refers to the fact that the boy and his family lived the "perfect" life, before the break up. The reason for this title is to give the story a lighter feel before the crime twist at the end. The story is being told through the experience of the boy, to highlight his life and the struggles he goes through and how they reflect his age.

The audience I am targeting is over the age of 15 as it is an adult subject and this age will find it interesting. The language is informal, and is a story that most people can relate to. The language and title give the story a relaxed feel, so that the end climax is a shock. Near the climax the sentences get shorter and there is a mysterious feel, "So curiously I pushed the door. It swung open with a deafening scream." Imagery is created throughout, painting a picture in the readers head, for example "red, thick, smelly blood" crafts a horror scene. The description of the shed helps to set the mood, "The dark gloomy shed", puts the reader into a creepy mind set.

Word count: 273

Performance Standards for Stage 2English Communications

Knowledge and Understanding / Analysis / Application / Communication
A / Detailed and comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the ways in which a wide variety of texts are shaped by the conventions of a particular form of expression or communication.
Knowledge and understanding of the ways in which creators and readers of familiar and unfamiliar texts use a range of language techniques and strategies to make meaning.
Detailed knowledge and understanding of the ideas and themes in familiar and unfamiliar texts.
Knowledge and understanding of a wide range of ways of defining and attracting a target audience for familiar and unfamiliar texts and examples of communication. / Perceptive analysis of a range of ways in which authors use the conventions of different text types to influence opinions and decisions in familiar and unfamiliar contexts.
Analysis of complex connections between personal ideas, experiences, values, and beliefs, and those explored in familiar and unfamiliar texts.
Comprehensive and analytical understanding of the ideas, experiences, values, and beliefs explored in a range of familiar and unfamiliar texts. / Use of a wide range of language skills and techniques to create sophisticated and coherent texts that address the meaning and intention of the task.
Detailed and appropriate use of evidence from texts to support responses, with textual references incorporated fluently.
Skills in using the structural, conventional, and textual features of text types for a range of familiar and unfamiliar contexts, audiences, and purposes.
Versatile and creative production of texts for a variety of familiar and unfamiliar contexts, audiences, and purposes. / Fluent and precise writing and speaking, using appropriate style and structure for a range of mainly unfamiliar audiences and contexts.
Appropriate use of language to convey mostly complex meaning in a range of unfamiliar contexts.
B / Knowledge and understanding of the ways in which a range of texts are shaped by the conventions of a particular form of expression or communication.
Knowledge and understanding of the ways in which creators and readers of mainly familiar texts use some language techniques and strategies to make meaning.
Knowledge and understanding of some ideas and themes in familiar, and some unfamiliar, texts.
Knowledge and understanding of a range of ways of defining and attracting a target audience for mainly familiar texts and examples of communication. / Analysis of a range of ways in which authors use the conventions of different text types to influence opinions and decisions in familiar, and some unfamiliar, contexts.
Analysis of some complex and simple connections between personal ideas, experiences, values, and beliefs, and those explored in familiar, and some unfamiliar, texts.
Analytical understanding of the ideas, experiences, values, and beliefs explored in a range of familiar, and some unfamiliar, texts. / Use of a range of language skills and techniques to create clear and coherent texts that address the meaning and intention of the task.
Use of evidence from texts to support responses, with textual references incorporated.
Skills in using some of the structural, conventional, and textual features of text types for a range of mainly familiar, and some unfamiliar, contexts, audiences, and purposes.
Production of texts for a variety of mainly familiar, and some unfamiliar, contexts, audiences, and purposes. / Mostly fluent and precise writing and speaking, using appropriate style and structure for a range of mostly familiar audiences and contexts.
Appropriate use of language to convey complex and simple meaning in a range of familiar and unfamiliar contexts.
C / Knowledge and understanding of some of the ways in which texts are shaped by the conventions of a particular form of expression or communication.
Knowledge and understanding of a number of ways in which creators and readers of a narrow range of familiar texts use some language techniques and strategies to make meaning.
Recounts of some of the ideas and themes in familiar texts.
Knowledge and understanding of a restricted range of ways of defining and attracting a target audience for familiar texts and examples of communication. / Descriptive analysis of a number of ways in which authors use the conventions of different text types to influence opinions and decisions in familiar texts.
Analysis of simple connections between personal ideas, experiences, values, or beliefs, and those explored in familiar texts.
Analytical understanding of some ideas, experiences, values, and beliefs explored in a range of mainly familiar texts. / Use of language skills and techniques to create texts that address the meaning and intention of the task.
Competent use of evidence from texts to support responses, with some use of textual references.
Skills in using some of the structural, conventional, and textual features of some text types for familiar contexts, audiences, and purposes.
Production of texts for familiar contexts, audiences, and purposes. / Generally fluent and functional writing and speaking, using appropriate style and structure for familiar audiences and contexts.
Appropriate use of language to convey simple meaning in a narrow range of familiar and unfamiliar contexts.
D / Knowledge and understanding of a limited number of ways in which texts are shaped by the conventions of a particular form of expression or communication.
Knowledge and understanding of some of the ways in which creators and readers of a narrow range of familiar texts use language techniques and strategies to make simple or factual meaning.
Identification of some of the ideas and themes in some familiar texts.
Knowledge and understanding of a way of defining and attracting a target audience for a familiar text or example of communication. / Reference to some ways in which authors use a range of the conventions of different text types to influence opinions and decisions in familiar texts.
Reference to simple connections between uncomplicated personal ideas, experiences, values, or beliefs, and those explored in familiar texts.
Analytical understanding of the ideas, experiences, values, or beliefs explored in a familiar text. / Use of language skills and techniques to create texts that partly address the meaning and intention of the task.
Some use of evidence from texts to support responses, with restricted use of textual references.
Skills in using some of the structural, conventional, or textual features of a text type for a familiar context, audience, or purpose.
Production of a limited number of texts for highly familiar contexts, audiences, and purposes. / Achievement of a level of fluency in writing and speaking in personally relevant situations, using appropriate style and structure for a narrow range of familiar audiences and contexts.
Occasionally appropriate use of language to convey simple meaning in familiar contexts.
E / Knowledge and understanding of a way in which a text is shaped by the conventions of a particular form of expression or communication.
Knowledge and understanding of the way in which a creator or reader of a highly familiar text uses a language technique or strategy to make factual meaning.
Identification of an idea or a theme in a familiar text.
Emerging development of knowledge and understanding of a way of defining and attracting a target audience for a highly familiar text or example of communication. / Reference to the way in which an author uses the conventions of different text types to influence opinions and decisions in a highly familiar text.
Recognition of a simple connection between a straightforward personal idea, experience, value, or belief, and that explored in a highly familiar text.
Development of understanding of the ideas, experiences, values, or beliefs explored in a highly familiar text. / Attempted use of a restricted range of language skills and/or techniques to create a text or texts that attempt to address the meaning or intention of the task.
Restricted use of evidence from texts to support a simple response, with textual reference.
Skills in using the structural, conventional, or textual features of a text type for a highly familiar context, audience, or purpose.
Production of a text for a highly familiar context, audience, and purpose. / Emerging development of fluency in writing and speaking in personally relevant situations, using appropriate style and structure for a narrow range of highly familiar audiences and contexts.
Occasionally appropriate use of language to convey literal meaning in highly familiar contexts.

Page 1 of 5Stage 2 English Communications annotated student work for use from 2011

2ECS20-at4-wsann01-C-v1.0 (October 2010)