English
Exploring and Expressing Ideas!
Time certainly moves at a quick pace in an English classroom. All year levels have studied at least one text and are now moving onto new topics.
Our Year 7s were busy Term 1, adjusting to College life as well as meeting the demands of studying English at a secondary level. We have asked Elijah McEvoy and Ben Miller (7.8) to convey their thoughts and experiences of studying English as a Year 7 student.
As our very first English class approached, most of 7.8 probably came into our L14 classroom with the expectations of a normal, text based English class. All of that changed when we met our teacher, with her wicked sense of humour and mischievous attitude. Straight away we got into the swing of things with the introduction of how to write personal narrative. Our teacher sets the bar very high with a short and funny story about a moment in her childhood that involved siblings fighting, a ring and some sweet revenge.
7.8 fought back with their moments of wonder, travel, triumphs, adventure and of course, humour. After that amazing start, we got to learn about Zelda as she fights a fire in Morris Gleitzman's novel ‘Now’. As we wrote our answers to questions , our responses got larger and larger. We went from three worded answers to Year 10 standard layered responses. As we finish ‘Now’ we are currently waiting for what excitement lays ahead.
Natalie Gleeson
English Learning Area Leader
Years 7-10
Senior Year Level English
In Years 11 and 12 English we are working hard towards each SAC. In Year 11, Brad Courtney comments on a new part of the course, the Creative Response.
In Year 11 English this semester, we have been given the task of producing a creative piece based on the novel ‘The Great Gatsby’. This has enabled us to demonstrate and express our individual creative abilities, whilst also harnessing the key details of the novel. This creative freedom has been enjoyable yet challenging, and I look forward to the rest of the semester.
In Year 12, students have just completed the Text Response SAC on This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff. The students completed the essay on an unseen topic under exam conditions in the hall in order to prepare them for the end of year exam. Students, for the most part, enjoyed writing on This Boy’s Life as it is such a rich text, set in 1950s America from the perspective of a young man struggling to find his identity. Teachers have worked hard to prepare students for SACs, holding holiday classes and marking many practice pieces. The energetic and generous Br Quentin is currently seeing over 40 students to assist them with their Year 12 English studies.
With Language and Literature also enriching our approaches to English in the senior years, students and teachers are working towards exploring and analysing a range of texts and articulating complex and expressive ideas about these texts. It’s very exciting!
Katrina Renouf
English Learning Area Leader
Years 11 and 12
