Year 8 English Electives

In Semester Two, students will have an opportunity to study ONE English elective of their choosing. These options, listed below, are designed to target student interest while covering the key content as outlined in the Victorian Curriculum.  Students are encouraged to identify a second preference should their first selection not go ahead.

Science Fiction

What do ‘Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy’, ‘The Matrix’ and ‘The Minority Report’ all have in common???

In this unit, students will explore a number of Science Fiction texts to gain an understanding of how the genre is used to pose questions about the world we live in. They will investigate the history of Science Fiction and see how dramatic human events have been viewed through the genre’s lens. Students will become familiar with typical Science Fiction characters and topics through written, audio and visual media, including contemporary video game reviews and blogs.

Write Sport

Sports are portrayed through a variety of texts. Students will explore the inspirational biography of Jim Stynes and analyse and discuss how his sporting career was impacted by a range of influences and drawing links to their own lives. They will investigate skills used to conduct formal interviews and use the information gathered to structure and draft newspaper articles based on (interschool and professional) sporting events throughout the semester. Students will also explore audio and visual media by viewing and inventing their own television/radio commentary in regards to a sport of their choice.

Classic Literature

Delve into another time, another place, another character’s heart mind and soul. Some of the greatest artists in the history of planet Earth will be studied in this subject. The works of these wonderful writers give us deep insights into what was important to the people of their time, society and culture. Your mind will become a time machine! We will explore different ways of thinking and expression with our more modern approaches. We will compare and contrast the written word with filmic interpretations. We will look at the great poems and prose of days gone by, along with more modern methods to see where humanity has been and where it may be going.

Modern American Literature

The amazing films and novels studied in this unit include: ‘The Hunger Games’and ‘Life of Pi’; some of which have been huge blockbusters!

In this unit, students will explore a range of modern day literature and discuss their themes. They will analyse whether or not these themes are effective; discussing how entertaining and engaging they were, were they traditional storylines and how relevant they are to today. Students will investigate texts written from different perspectives, examining the similarities and differences they observe. They will explore structures of narratives through written, audio and visual media and present their findings in written and spoken forms.