English 

English Update

It is hard to believe that we are already in term 4! Students in English across year 7 and 8 have worked so hard this year and all of the English teachers have been so proud to watch them grow. In particular, in the past semester we have had a strong focus on reading within our classes and ensuring that students are setting reading goals and focusing on these goals in their reading times. 

Across all classes, students have learned how to choose a 'just right' text. They have practised using the 5 finger rule to find something that engages them. During reading times they have been conferencing with their teachers and setting a goal, then completing a reflection at the end of the reading time in their reader response journals. This week, we are using on demand testing with a sample group of students to assess the effectiveness of our reading program in semester 2, so that we can continue to build our practice in 2020. 

In our subject area we have also focused heavily this semester on incorporating student voice into our classes. This has been achieved in a number of ways including: students selecting debate teams and topics in year 7 debating; students selecting their class film analysis text for year 7 film; selecting short stories to study in year 8. We are currently reviewing curriculum from 2019 and are looking to build our 2020 year 9 curriculum. In doing this we have been asking students for their feedback and advice on the units, however if we have not yet asked you, please feel free to approach one of the English teachers with your feedback! We are excited to continue to build our curriculum to make it as rigorous and engaging as possible!