Year 8 Term 1 Overviews

In Term 1, the Year 8 cohort will explore different types of creative writing, developing their ability to write with purpose, meaning, and style. The first topic they will study is writing in a specific genre, focusing on fantasy. As a class, students will examine a range of fantasy texts to identify key genre conventions and apply these elements in their own creative writing.

Building on this, Year 8 students will explore fables and Dreamtime stories, learning how authors convey messages and morals through narrative. As a class, students will examine various Indigenous Dreamtime stories, identifying the symbolism used and the meanings inferred by the reader. Throughout these units, students will be encouraged to demonstrate how ideas can be expressed in new and imaginative ways by combining ideas, imagery, and language features.

Lastly, students will explore influential speeches, where they will analyse how an author connects with an audience and conveys emotion through deliberate language features and word choices.

Humanites Year 8: Alisha Hickey

This term in Year 8 Humanities, students will study Ancient Rome and explore how it developed, expanded and declined. They will examine how geography and natural resources influenced Roman settlement, as well as how Roman society was structured, including social classes, the role of women and everyday life. Students will learn about Roman religious beliefs, entertainment and social customs, and consider what stayed the same and what changed over time. The course will also focus on significant individuals, events and developments, including warfare and political conflict, and their impact on Roman expansion and collapse. By the end of the term, students will analyse the short and long-term significance of Ancient Rome and its lasting legacy in the modern world.

Maths Year 8: WeiWei

In Term 1, Year 8 students will study Number Properties, Integers, Transformations and Fractions.

In Number Properties, students will learn about powers, factors and multiples. They will represent natural numbers in expanded form and as products of prime factors using exponent notation. Students will also solve problems involving squares of numbers and square roots of perfect square numbers.

Students will then develop their understanding of integers by solving problems involving the addition and subtraction of positive and negative numbers.

In Transformations, students will use coordinates to describe transformations of points in the plane.

Fractions are also an important focus this term. Students will use all four operations when working with positive fractions, choosing efficient mental and written calculation strategies. They will also learn to choose between equivalent representations of rational numbers and percentages to support calculations and make simple estimates to check the reasonableness of their answers

Science Year 8: Nirmesha

This term in Science, students will explore biological sciences with a focus on body systems and how they support life processes. Through this unit, students will investigate the structure and function of cells, tissues, and organs in both plants and animals. They will learn how these systems work together to maintain the survival and well-being of living organisms. Additionally, students will examine the impact of disorders on these systems and how they can affect overall organism health. Students will engage in practical scientific investigations, developing key inquiry skills such as hypothesising, conducting experiments, analysing data, and evaluating evidence. They will explore the scientific method, making predictions, drawing conclusions, and communicating findings effectively. Real-world applications and problem-solving will be emphasized to deepen their understanding of how biological knowledge applies to everyday life. By the end of the term, students will have enhanced their scientific reasoning and gained valuable experience in working collaboratively on hands-on experiments, setting the foundation for success in future science studies.

Design and Technology

Wood Technology Year 8 : Mary

This term, Year 8 students will continue developing their confidence and skills in the wood technology workshop. Building on what they already know, students will learn new and more advanced techniques, with a focus on accuracy, problem-solving, and safe tool use. Students will begin creating and using simple working drawings and will learn how to evaluate design features such as strength, function, and appearance. These skills will be put into practice through the construction of a small storage box, where students will plan, build, and refine their work from start to finish. By the end of the term, students will have produced a completed project that reflects their growing independence, craftsmanship, and understanding of the design process.

Food Science Year 8 : Zai

In Semester 1, Year 8 students will explore the science behind food through engaging, hands-on cooking investigations and practical activities. Across Terms 1 and 2, students will examine how ingredients change during food preparation and cooking, with a focus on understanding physical and chemical changes and food safety..

Students will investigate how factors such as heat, mixing, and specific ingredients (including yeast) affect the texture, structure, and flavour of foods. Through practical tasks, including cooking activities, students will develop key scientific skills such as measuring, observing, recording data, and explaining results using scientific language.

Students will also analyse the ingredient lists of everyday food products, research unfamiliar ingredients, and explore how these ingredients function in food. This encourages critical thinking and helps students make informed choices about the foods they eat.

By the end of Semester 1, students will have developed greater confidence in the kitchen, a stronger understanding of food science concepts, and the ability to connect everyday cooking experiences to real scientific processes.

HAPE, Sport and PE

Year 8 Health	Nathanael Anderson	In Year 8 Health this term, students are exploring the connection between personal health and the health of their community. They will examine how supportive environments encourage people to be active, and how physical activity contributes to physical, mental and social wellbeing. Students will investigate ways to be active within their local community, identify barriers that may prevent participation, and research practical initiatives that could make their community more inclusive and supportive of active lifestyles.
Year 8 PE and Sport and Movement	Tim	Year 8 Sport & Movement combines our interschool sport focus on volleyball and netball with a new elective element designed to broaden student choice and engagement. While students develop their skills, teamwork and game understanding in preparation for competition, they also have the opportunity to select from a range of movement pathways, including options such as martial arts and cooperative team challenges. This structure provides greater student agency, promotes inclusion, and ensures all learners can find a meaningful way to participate — whether they are striving for sporting excellence or building confidence through diverse and supportive physical activity experiences.

Art / Performing Arts

Visual Arts

Year 8: Visual Arts will develop an understanding of three dimensional visual art and design through ceramics with a focus on consolidating hand-building and construction techniques. They will be exposed to a variety of ceramics skills such as: pinch, slab, coil, kneading,wedging and glazing clay. Students will investigate ceramics in visual arts and design practices using their visual diaries to document their learning journey and look at contemporary and historical ceramic artworks, sculptures and artists to develop their own personal style. The unit will culminate in producing a final ceramic artwork that will be displayed at the annual school art exhibition.

Performing Arts

Year 8 : Performing Arts Drama explored how expressive skills and stagecraft bring scripted and improvised performances to life. Early in the term, students learned how to use voice, facial expression, movement, and gesture to communicate character, emotion, and intention. These skills were applied to the creation of dramatic dioramas where students designed miniature performance spaces, considering stage layout, lighting, mood, and set design. Following this, students worked in groups to rehearse and perform short, scripted scenes. They explored the full performance process interpreting dialogue, blocking movement, managing props, and working with cues. Rehearsals focused on collaboration, refinement, and problem-solving, with students learning to adjust their performances based on peer and teacher feedback. Through performance and reflection, students developed their understanding of how actors and designers work together to create compelling drama.

Mandarin

This term, Year 8 students will begin by learning about Chinese breakfast culture. During the first four weeks, students will build vocabulary and sentence structures related to common Chinese breakfast foods and drinks. They will practise using verbs, nouns, measure words, and expressions of likes and dislikes, with a strong focus on developing conversational skills. Through role-plays and interactive activities, students will learn how to confidently order breakfast in Mandarin and take part in simple, real-life conversations.

In the second half of the term, students will explore aspects of Chinese culture, broadening their cultural understanding alongside their language learning. This includes learning about important Chinese festivals celebrated during Term 1, such as Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) and the Lantern Festival, as well as traditional Chinese games and elements of modern China. Students will compare cultural practices and reflect on similarities and differences between Chinese culture and their own.