ENGLISH
Year 7
Our new Year 7 students have made a flying start in English this year, they have been creating Zines on a topic of their choice as part of their orientation unit and are now beginning their creative non-fiction writing folio which will see them explore autobiographies, biographies and memoirs. Their Zines have been so creatively presented and we can’t wait to see what they will be able to produce in the space of creative non-fiction!
Year 12
The Year 12 classes have also had a fantastic start to the year.
In English they have already completed their first SAC which was a creative response to ‘Born a Crime’ by Trevor Noah and have enjoyed the opportunity to express themselves creatively.
The Literature class have also completed their first SAC which was a close analysis of the classic ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ by Joan Lindsay and have thoroughly enjoyed discussing key concepts like colonialism, oppression, nature and order vs chaos.
This year we have launched an exciting new program in English at year 9 where students are given the agency to choose two different English subjects to study across the year, instead of everyone studying the same year long course. The units have been designed to teach the same knowledge and skills, but within the interest areas of the students. Here is an overview of what each subject has been doing so far this year:
Crime
The year 9 ‘crime cadre’, that is Ms. Silver’s and Mr. Marz’s English classes, have spent the early part of the term investigating just what are the ingredients of a great crime story. We have also been ‘digging the dirt’ on the different styles of crime fiction, from your classic ‘whodunnit’s to the ‘hard boiled’ tales of 1940-50’s America right up to our CSI investigators of today. Right now ,the two classes are shining a light on the worlds first modern detective story, The Murders in the Rue Morgue’. Once we have deducted what makes it so important, we will ‘lift the lid’ on some other writers before embarking on our own crime adventures. The students will soon be creating characters and cases and writing their own Crime Story!
– Ms. Silver and Mr. Marz
Literature
This week, Literature students continue to prepare presentations on a text of personal significance to them. Such texts include Louis Sachar’s Holes and JK Rowling’s Harry Potter. Students must defend why these texts hold equal value to “powerhouse” texts of the literary canon, such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula, or the Shakespearean catalogue.
– Mr. Nyhuis
Horror
This week in Horror we have been exploring different monsters. Using Carroll’s Taxonomy of Monsters, students have been having vigorous discussions, defending their classification choices. We have been delving into the things that a text needs to make it Horror- fear, suspense, supernatural, violence and gore and looking for these in various texts. Students are working towards their oral presentations on their chosen aspect of the genre.
– Ms. Valk
Sporting Greats
In Year 9 Sporting Greats we have taken on the role of being a Sports Journalist. Thus far into the unit we have dived into researching and writing about our favourite sporting teams and athletes. Furthermore, we have explored and debated some of sports most scandalous moments.?
– Ms. Foleti
Social Justice
In the Social Justice class, we have been researching the Australian of the Year awards, viewing previous winners’ speeches and exploring issues and causes. Students will be competing in their own Australian of the Year speech competition, where students share their own personal causes and how they want the world to be a better place. Students will be voting and will crown their own Young Australian of the Year afterwards.
– Mr. Van Keulen
Teen Stories
Teens Stories has begun with a film study of 10 things I hate about you. Students have enjoyed exploring the ideas of honesty, status, and individualism alongside the classic teen beats of high school, house parties and young love. Students are beginning to review the structure of TEAL. A particular enjoyment of students has been reviewing the importance of music and its impact on tone throughout the film.
– Ms. Williams
Amy Broekmann
ENGLISH KEY LEARNING HEAD