James Moffett's influence in Australia is shown here manifested in a particular Syllabus for Years 7-10 from the 1970s. Moffett is discussed in terms of the totalising nature of the theory presented in "Teaching the Universe of Discourse" and it is argued that not only the details of Moffett's theory, but also its totalising nature were both reflected in that Syllabus. This approach to curriculum is briefly contrasted with the current draft National Curriculum for English (K-10) in Australia, which presents a model of the subject effectively disintegrated into separate strands of language, literature and literacy. Finally, the author's own experience with Moffett's "Active Voice" in schools is discussed as an example of operationalising theories of language development and rhetoric within a longitudinal curriculum.