Key Learning Area in Focus: ENGLISH

The study of English invites our students to learn about the power, value and art of the English language. It gives them opportunities to experiment with language and style until they find their own way to express themselves in our world. We invite you to have a closer look at some of the experiences of Year 7 and Year 11 students below. 

Year 7 spent the first term learning about the power of storytelling. Classes read Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone, Dragonkeeper and Holes to learn how stories are put together to create meaning. They looked at the different ways to create characters, settings and events that capture the imaginations of their readers and draw them into the magic of storytelling. The unit culminated in the creation of their own stories that reflected the genre they studied and demonstrated their understanding of the different features of storytelling.  Enjoy... 

…As night fell, Autumn pulled on a thick coat and wrapped a woolly scarf around her neck. She tiptoed down the halls and out the front gate. It was a beautiful night, the snow shimmered in the moonlight and her breath made fluffy clouds of steam. As she reached the outskirts of town, the sound of distant voices forced her to slink into the shadows. This was where homeless drunks tended to hang out and if they saw her, she could be in big danger. 

A foul stench intruded her nose, it smelt like rotten fish, alcohol and smoke. Crouching behind a barrel, Autumn realised where it came from. An old man wearing a potato sack with a whisky bottle grasped in his hand was glaring at her! He suddenly jolted forward trying to grasp her, but Autumn had already begun to dash down the street, leaving him and the lights of the town far behind. Autumn didn’t stop running until she reached the treeline of the Dark Thicket. 

The leaves rustled evil whispers. Autumn wasn’t welcome here. She walked in silence, careful not to make a sound. The dense canopies prevented any moonlight from guiding her way. All she knew was the phoenixes were in the centre of the Thicket. A sudden snap of a twig made her heart jump and she stood rooted to the spot. Then, seeing an enormous silhouette she hid behind the nearest tree as something began to stomp in her direction! Fear stricken, her whole body shook with terror as she cowered against the bark….

                                                                                         SOPHIE M

Year 11 began their journey in Stage 6 English by reviewing the challenging Discursive text type. Students looked at examples of discursive texts in the media and then wrote their own text that demonstrated their understanding of its forms and features. Considering the difficulty of this text type, the students did wonderfully well and below is an example of the excellent work produced:

The other day in Physics, we were talking about change. It was one of those hazy summer days, when the words on the whiteboard were beginning to blur together and every attempt made by my teacher to engage the class was met with a sleepy silence. The theory was nothing too difficult, nothing our tired minds wouldn’t be able to comprehend. There are two types of change, physical and chemical. A chemical change is irreversible, the chemical bonds of a substance are permanently broken, and a new substance is formed. A physical change is interchangeable and causes a change in the appearance of the composition but could be easily reversed […]

I have seen many different changes, both transient and irreversible in my experience, in fact, they are happening around us all day every day. Physical changes, like water, shifting between solid, liquid and gas, are impermanent and could happen repeatedly. Yet, what has fascinated me the most is the many kinds of chemical changes happening in the world at large. The kind that are irreversible, forever carved into stone. The bread in the toaster, the iron poles on the pool fence slowly beginning to rust, the milk I left too long in the fridge going sour. All these chemical changes, as small and as insignificant as they are, cannot be reversed. Perhaps the wise words of Lady Macbeth sum it up more clearly, “What’s done cannot be undone.”… 

                                                                                                                        INDY J 

Congratulations to our students for embracing their English studies and unlocking the power of the English language.