English

I’d first like to take the opportunity to thank you for your continued support and understanding during these strange times. I’d also like to thank the English faculty staff for their tireless effort as they adapt to teaching and learning in a remote and flexible environment; it has not been easy, but they continue to push themselves to find new and effective ways to engage students despite the circumstances. Finally, thank you to the students who have shown resilience and optimism in the face of the challenges presented to their learning. For teachers, you make all of our efforts worthwhile. If you are reading this and are finding it difficult to engage your student with remote learning, we encourage you to reach out to us so that we can help to support you in whatever way we can and look forward to the time where your student can join our online classes.

This term in English, we are studying texts at all year levels that ask interesting questions, provide a variety of social and historical perspectives, and examine life from many angles. From a young girl crawling through a tunnel in her house to a fantasy world (Coraline), to a Jewish boy searching for his parents in Nazi Germany (Once), the hysteria-induced Salem witch trials (The Crucible), and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (The Queen), our text list has been curated to expose students to a range of times, places, people and events, to probe them to think about ethical dilemmas and empathise with perspectives different from their own. As students progress through the English curriculum at JFC, they are engaged with texts of increasing complexity, allowing them to demonstrate the maturity of their ideas.

The texts studied in in Term 3 are below:

• Year 7 – Coraline (film review unit)
• Year 8 – Once by Morris Gleitzman (text response)
• Year 9 – Where The Wild Things Are (film/book comparative unit)
• Year 10 The Crucible (text response unit)
• Year 11 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (text response unit)
• Year 12 The Queen/Ransom by David Malouf (film/novel comparative unit)

It is the work of the English teacher to take a book and turn it into an exploration of concepts and perspectives, giving students a chance to form their own answers to important questions. Although the English classroom looks different right now, we are continuing to support our students as they engage with their texts, specifically focusing on teaching students to use reading comprehension strategies before, during and after they read to deepen their understanding. English teachers are also reading passages of text with students during Teams meetings, explicitly unpacking the important ideas in the text, and we are using educational tools like ClickView to embed comprehension questions and helpful hints for students as they watch assigned films and videos.  

If you would like to support your student at home, the most helpful thing that you can do is discuss their texts with them as discussion generates further ideas and knowledge, both of which are required for students to successfully demonstrate learning in the English classroom. Some other ways you can support their learning are:

• If you have the time, read the books and watch the films your students are required to engage with for English. Having someone to talk to about things they don’t understand, or something that they found interesting or unusual, is very beneficial. If you don’t have the time, even a YouTube video or SparkNotes summary would still be helpful!
• Monitor your student’s reading, make sure that they are reading for at least ten minutes a day. It is impossible for your student to have the best chance of success if they don’t read or view their texts. If your student has read their assigned text already, ten minutes of wider reading a day will support their development of vocabulary and comprehension skills. Reading also provides some escapism when everyone is currently feeling very penned in, so it can’t hurt!
• If your student is having difficulty engaging with their text or concentrating for long enough to read it, have a look for an audio book copy. Listening to the text as they read along supports students to stay engaged and achieve greater understanding of what they have read.
• Push your student to ask their teachers questions about things they don’t understand, or to seek support if they are unable to complete a task. We are here to help!
• Encourage your student to use technology to organise study groups with their friends using video calls. This way, they can discuss their thoughts on the text and help each other with the work, which will deepen their knowledge and understanding as well as keeping them socially connected – it’s a win-win!

Finally, I’d like to leave you with a piece of writing from Year 10 student Maximus Hastings-Rumoro, which he wrote in response to the text Coming of Age: Growing Up Muslim in Australia, a collection of writing by twelve Muslim-Australians focused around stories of growing up and identity. Maximus' piece is a memoir and an example of some of the great work being produced by our students. 

Enjoy!

English Domain Leader

Calm Under Pressure

ITS MY TURN TO STEP UP! I can hear the crowd chanting in front of me as I walk forward; I try to block them out. Ice runs through my veins, my focus is immense. I put the ball on the spot and walk back, I have a quick look up to see the keeper starring me down. I stand up tall with my chest out, showing poise towards the keeper and the crowd. 

‘Same spot as always’, I whisper to myself as I step up to crunch the ball. GOALLLL! The ball spins into the bottom corner out of the keeper’s reach. The crowd screams as I walk back full of confidence, I have done my job. Heading into that game, we were seen as the underdogs, and yet, we have rallied together and won on penalties. There is just something special about football.

Ever since I was able to walk I have been kicking a ball; it is almost like an instinct rather than a sport to me. I was always playing up as a junior, hence, being the smallest and often having to rely on my speed and skill set. However, as I have grown older, some would say I am built like a truck. I have always been a fan of the underdog triumphing against the bigger more intimidating opponent. It is something that always has helped me succeed and encourage others to reach beyond their own potential. The values I have in life have mostly come from the football pitch, such as respect to other players and the responsibility to lead the team. I remember a time when I was playing for my local club, Heidelberg United, and we played the prestige’s A-league team Melbourne City. I was brought up an age group to play because last time they lost 8-0. We lost 3-2 this time round; they scored a late free kick after a sending off. It was one of my best games and this was proven when I made the Melbourne City squad the following season. Football helps me to become stronger mentally and really show off my leadership abilities.

Growing up all I ever wanted to do was to play soccer and never really thought about any other a career. I had always been good at Maths and now in high school I’m enjoying Science and English, so now I have multiple career options. My grandfather is a professor in mechanical engineering and has always been a role model to me. His father was in the army, so he went to boarding school up until high school. In 1977, my grandfather migrated to Australia for a new job after working in the British army as an engineer; my mother was six at this stage. He is a very knowledgeable and humble man, as in he will never tell you about his accomplishments, not even me. When I think about how hard he had to work to build his career and become successful it inspires me to follow in his footsteps. 

One time we sat down and chatted about his role in the army, we talked for hours but not once did he mention that he created the floating bomb, which I found out after. My grandfather is a family man, businessman and a man of culture, all of what I want to be when I am older. I hope one day I can look back and say that I am humble and knowledgeable just like him.

Along with sport and family, I also find music has a big influence on the way I act. I love music, and find it has a major impact on our mood and even how productive we are. I have never been a fan of playing or reading music, however, the sounds and beats can instantly change your mood and brighten your day. 

Once our school football team had a trip to Canberra for the Kanga Cup, we decided to take the bus because it was cheaper and easier. For the most part of the trip up on the bus, we had music blasting; I am surprised our teachers did not tell us off. The team were all singing and making a racket, but the point is that we were having fun and in fact bonding as a team. One song in particular came on, Piece of your Heart by Meduza, everyone was vibing and dancing; this ended up being our theme song for the competition. The music brought us together and we ended up winning that tournament. 

When I am at home, I struggle to do work without listening to my favourite songs and artist; some include Lewis Capaldi, The Weekend, Dave and Alessia Cara. The songs allow me to focus, apart from when I do not understand the work and turn it off vigorously. Music is such a powerful weapon; it can unite peoples of different cultures and encourage people to work harder, however, it can also cause tension and feud violence. For example, the Rocky Theme song by Bill Conti, whenever I hear that song I instantly feel motivated and start punching something, not a person of course. 

As you can tell, I have a lot of influences and goals in life. Football is such a big part of my life and school has now become just as important. I try to pick positive role models to aspire to, one of these my granddad, my parents are also my idols. They encourage me to push myself and have taught me values that I will carry around for life. I have always believed that the people around you, whether its family, friends or teachers, all have an influence on the person you will become in the future. I have the best family, good bunch of mates and great teachers who all care about my future. I cannot wait for the future, at the same time I am enjoying the present. 

Maximus Hastings-Rumoro 

10B